Gov. Reeves: Miss. families deserve to feel safe walking around their neighborhoods

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - In a press conference Wednesday, Gov. Tate Reeves announced “key hirings” to the Mississippi Department of Public Safety’s Leadership Team that, he hopes, will help quell violence across Mississippi.

He said that the three new hires will be “key players in preserving the security of Mississippians and the security of our state.”

Reeves noted the rise in crime throughout the country, and that many major cities have been hit by this crime wave. The state’s capital city, he said, has not been immune.

He said that there have been too many shootings, drug crimes and too much violence in Jackson, Mississippi.

So far this year, 51 homicides have been reported in the capital city, according to WLBT figures. The Jackson Police Department says there are 53 homicides, but has not provided details on those.

Jackson was also the site of a recent shooting at the Mississippi Mudbug Festival, the alleged gunmen being only 15 and 16 years old.

“Mississippi families deserve to feel safe walking around their neighborhoods,” Reeves stated during the press conference, adding that his administration refuses to accept the crime wave as the norm in the state.

Because of this, three men have been added to DPS’s Leadership Team. Reeves said they will bring a tremendous amount of experience and will aid in the effort to reduce crime.

They include Major Charles Haynes as the new director of the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, Bo Luckey as the new chief of police at the Capitol Police and Joshua Shipp as the new assistant chief of Capitol Police.

The governor says he has complete confidence in his new hires and that they will carry out the responsibilities with dignity and effectiveness.

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