JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Law enforcement officials have surged local, state and federal resources to Mississippi’s capital city for a new operation aimed at curbing violent crime, drug trafficking and other offenses, Gov. Tate Reeves announced Tuesday.
Reeves and other officials provided few details of what the operation would entail on the ground, but said Jackson would see an increased police presence. The city has nation-leading homicide statistics, and arguments over the best way to reduce crime in the city have divided local and state leaders.
But Reeves, a Republican, and Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba, a Democrat, said they have come together around Operation Unified. The initiative targeting drug traffickes and violent criminals began in January with the help of numerous agencies.
“Jacksonians deserve to live in peace, and they should not have to fear for their safety while running errands or commuting to work,” Reeves said. “Together with our local and federal partners, we will put a stop to it.”
The participating agencies include the Jackson Police Department, the state-run Capitol Police, the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Reeves said the agencies would focus on reversing Jackson’s high homicide rate.
The state’s white Republican leaders and the city’s mostly Black Democratic leaders have disagreed in the past over the best way to combat crime. Reeves signed a law in 2023 to expand the territory of the Capitol Police and create a state-run court in part of Jackson with judges that are appointed rather than elected. Many Democrats have said the law is discriminatory and that more resources should be used for crime prevention. The law was upheld in federal court after an NAACP lawsuit.
On Tuesday, Lumumba said state and local leaders were moving beyond their disagreements, with the shared aim of keeping residents safe.
“I hope that as we move forward, we can pledge to the residents of Jackson that our goal will not be for them to feel policed, but to feel protected,” Lumumba said.
When you have RacistS in government pOsitiOns with the “so-called” justice system 🙄🙄🙄… It’s NOT a good thing at ALL it’s Just Another Way for the “good ole boys” to … UhmMm … “legally” … KeeP the SySteM in their hands
I KNOW … It’s a FACT
💰 can coVer UP a WhOlE lot of crimes
( EvEn murder ) EXample … Tina Waldrep in West Point MS SAD … but TrutH
It’S a CoMMoN thAng in west point , MS in clay county, just a Cr👀Ked letter stAte , as well as , corrupt called justice 🎯 it’s definitely the “injustice system”