During an appearance before the Mississippi House of Representatives Judiciary B Committee, Capitol Police Chief Bo Luckey recalled recent conversations with two Jackson residents.
“I had an individual contact me who lives in the Belhaven area,” he said. “He said he walked his dog for the first time in a long time at night and he said he felt safe and appreciated everything we’re doing.
“I had another individual who contacted me when I first took over at Capitol Police and was pretty heated in the conversation, begging me to do something different, said he was ready to leave, to move. He called me going on and on, saying how safe he feels and how appreciative he is for everything.
“These individuals are not calling because we’ve done anything specifically for them. It’s because they see what we’re doing as a whole. They see the visibility of patrol. They see that their neighborhoods are quieter now. They see checkpoints.”
For many years, Capitol Police mainly provided security for state-owned buildings, but the role of Capitol Police has expanded so it now works with the Jackson Police Department, the Hinds County Sheriff’s Office and federal law enforcement agencies to fight crime in Jackson.
The Capitol Complex Improvement District (CCID) takes in not only downtown Jackson but also many of the city’s major institutions such as Jackson State University, the Jackson Medical Mall, the LeFleur’s Bluff Complex, Belhaven University, Millsaps College and part of the District at Eastover.
Virgi Lindsay, who represents Ward 7 on the Jackson City Council, said the CCID includes neighborhoods such as Belhaven, Fondren and Midtown and residents throughout her ward have expressed gratitude for the work of Capitol Police. “They feel safer seeing them on patrol,” she said.
Luckey was appointed chief on May 23 and since that time the Capitol Police force has grown from 66 sworn officers to 104.
The number of sworn patrol officers is 36, up from 15, he said. The street crimes unit has 11 sworn officers and three full-time investigators and one part-time investigator. Forty-one sworn law enforcement officers and six non-sworn officers provide security for buildings and events.
The command staff was lacking when he was named chief, Luckey said, and that has increased with assistant chiefs for the patrol division, security and administration.
Since July 18, the flex unit of Capitol Police, which wears plain clothes with vests, drives unmarked cars and deals with street crimes, has made 59 felony arrests and eight misdemeanor arrests, Luckey said. The unit has seized 29 firearms (13 of which were stolen) and recovered six stolen vehicles, $10,536 and narcotics that include fentanyl and hydrocodone.
“What makes them unique is they’re not answering calls,” Luckey said of the flex unit. “These numbers they’re putting up are not from anyone calling and saying, ‘This is what’s going on.’ This is about having boots on the ground and pro-actively policing the CCID, knowing what they’re looking for and going after it. They operate with sources and CIs (confidential informants) much like a narcotics division would.”
During the last month, the patrol division of Capitol Police issued 948 citations, made one DUI arrest, 23 felony arrests and 30 misdemeanor arrests and recovered five stolen vehicles, he said. The Hinds County Sheriff’s Office made 55 DUI arrests using checkpoints Capitol Police set up in the Capitol Complex Improvement District, he said.
“My patrol division is very proactive,” Luckey said. “They’re out there enforcing the law. They’re issuing citations. They’re conducting safety checkpoints in random places throughout the city. They’re letting the criminal element know they’re out there. They’re being seen They’re being a deterrent. They’re also letting the public know, ‘We’re here for you.’”
Luckey said many homeless people could be found “from the interstate all the way back to as far as CCID goes,” last May when he was named chief.
“If you get off the Interstate on High Street today, you may see one or two randomly walking around,” he said. “We’ve been able to be a visible presence for them as well. We take a zero tolerance on crime.
“It doesn’t matter to us if you’re homeless or not. If you commit a crime, we’re going to arrest you, we’re going to cite you. We’re going to deal with you like we would everyone else. That’s a factor that’s helped us solve a lot of business burglaries.”
One of the first arrests Capitol Police made after Luckey was named chief stemmed from a terroristic threat on social media pertaining to the Wingfield High School graduation on June 1 at the Mississippi Coliseum.
Capitol Police worked with additional law enforcement agencies and an arrest was made. “I told my team we were going to be proactive,” he said.
A backlog with the Hinds County justice system is a challenge the Capitol Police face, Luckey said. Because of that, Capitol Police sends violent felonies that involve gun charges to the U.S. Attorney’s office for prosecution. About 30 cases have been sent to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, he said.
“They will go from complaint to sentencing in the federal system isn nine months,” he said. “That is lightning fast compared to our county system. That is a deterrent enough to show people, ‘They’re not playing around.”’
Capitol Police frequently works with JPD and the Hinds County Sheriff’s Office, he said. Joining forces with other law enforcement for a unified front is necessary to get crime under control, he said.
“We’ve got to get boots on the ground,” Luckey said. “We’ve got to work together.”
Luckey said it’s difficult to hire law enforcement officers but he plans to be more aggressive in recruitment efforts.
“In today’s environment I would argue its extremely hard to find anybody that wants to be a police officer,” he said, citing constant criticism and negativity that officers face. “The applicant pool is slowly dwindling. It’s not like it used to be and I don’t know what the answer is to get that back. The quality of applicants is not what it used to be. The quantity is certainly not as high as it used to be.”
A new recruit on the Capitol Police force who has up to one year of experience earns an annual salary of $40,000 to $42,000. That’s less than a new recruit for JPD, the Ridgeland Police Department or the Madison Police Department earns.
A JPD recruit, new to the job with up to one year’s experience earns an annual salary of $45,000. A new patrol officer without law enforcement training or certification in Ridgeland, receives an annual salary of $43,700 compared to an entry-level recruit without law enforcement training or certification working for the Madison Police Department who earns an annual salary of $48,000.
The pay scale for the Capitol Police continues with an officer with one to four years of experience receiving $42,500 to $44,500 annually and an officer with five to nine years of experience, $45,000 to $49,500 annually.
A Capitol Police corporal with 10 years of experience earns $50,000 to $52,000 annually; a sergeant with 10 plus years of experience, $54,000 to $56,000 annually; a lieutenant with 10 plus years of experience, $68,000 to $70,000 annually; a captain with 10 plus years of experience, $74,000 to $76,000 annually; a deputy chief with 10 plus years of experience, $80,000 annually; an assistant police chief with 10 plus years of experience, $85,000 annually; and chief of police with 10 plus years of experience, $96,000 annually.
In a year, Capitol Police should have about 150-160 employees, Luckey said. Even the increased number of officers, more manpower will be needed for Capitol Police’s security division for state-owned properties, its patrol division, its administrative division and its investigative division, he said.
The plan is for Capitol Police to occupy the former Wright & Ferguson Funeral Home building on High Street in about two years after renovations are made, Luckey said.
Capitol Police does not have a 9-11 center but JPD will transition calls to Capitol Police if necessary, he said.
“We have looked at and are looking at when we get our new police department at Wright & Ferguson at having a 9-11 center,” Luckey said. That’s going to be the most effective thing I can think of.”
