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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Jackson Public Safety Community Meeting - September 10, 2026

Meeting Portal — Thursday, September 10, 2026

BodyJackson, Mississippi

SessionMeeting Portal

DateThursday, September 10, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 1:24:27

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

0:04

I would like to call to a public safety community meeting for September 10th, 2026 to order.

0:11

Colleagues, are there any open introductions?

0:16

Okay.

0:17

Next, we would discuss agenda item number one, officer retention and recruitment.

0:22

Chief Brattney, if you would approach the podium.

0:26

Or you may want to sit down if it's comfortable.

0:27

Or sit down, whatever make you have to do it.

0:30

Whatever makes you comfortable.

0:42

Okay, well, we'll start off whichever way you want to go, you you all can answer your first question if you have any.

0:51

You can go.

0:52

Thank you.

0:53

How is retention and recruitment going?

0:58

Thank you for that.

0:59

Um thank you, ma'am.

1:02

I appreciate you.

1:03

Rochelle Brackney, uh, chief of police, Jackson PD.

1:07

So we are currently um poisoning ourselves to um have another October class that we have on.

1:15

We are current.

1:16

If you would like the statistics, I can help you out with that if you allow me the benefit of putting on my glasses to get us to where our current status is.

1:25

I just actually inquired about where we were and how we were going to be moving forward, um, particularly since we do recoup our costs from the state to a large degree, it's about uh 4,500 or so in officer that we put through regardless of what jurisdiction that they are coming to us uh from.

1:47

And so the latest numbers uh that I just got from our chief is that we have currently give me one second, sir.

2:07

I'll pull the numbers up.

2:08

We currently have five that we know that are definitely coming that have already cleared all of the the paperwork and they're now doing the psychological exam.

2:16

We have another six that just went through the physical fitness assessment as well, and then there's um another seven that are taking the test, and so we're in various phases of it.

2:29

With other departments that are sending them to us, we are looking to host between um our departments, and there's 33 individuals minimum at this academy class coming through in October.

2:41

We had uh nine that just graduated from the academy, and which uh all nine entered into FTO training.

2:50

We have um had to um discontinue the employment of one, and then there um we are also um evaluating the possibility of having to discontinue the employment of um others in that class.

3:06

Um, in terms of um our resignations and our retirements that are going on, they are at the the normal levels in terms of retirement.

3:16

Um recruitment efforts.

3:18

We have now um, and then I just got an email from Director Toya Martin where Alcorn State does an annual fair here, but we have already been in conversations and talks to have a direct pipeline from them to JPD setting up a program with Alcorn to be able to come uh directly from a cadet style program into uh Jackson Police Department.

3:43

We do not currently have a a an established cadet program uh that has been used as a pipeline into the organization.

3:52

Now, the one thing you have to understand is that traditionally four-year institutions and job fairs are not the places that will net you the recruitment um opportunities that you would want, because as we all know, this is a very competitive field.

4:06

If a person comes out with a four-year degree or with a master's degree, um, the thought about doing public service or civil service work has waned very differently.

4:16

And thus the original programs of Teach for America or that came into place so that you would have to do government service in order to get loan forgiveness and things of that nature.

4:26

There are things that we can do to recruit uh loan forgiveness is often one for public safety if you've done public service for 10 years and you've pay them that you can waive loans, but there is very stringent conditions often to that, which means 120 consecutive payments for your loans back, and so us being able to possibly offer uh partial loan forgiveness and if a person applies for it, or is a great recruitment effort.

5:00

We are also looking at is there ways that we can recruit successfully if you speak a second language, if you have a degree, if you have an additional skill set that you already come with that we could offer one-time sign-on bonuses that allow you after you signed on the first six months, you're successful, you get half of it, and then the other six months you get the other half of that bonus that it then builds in recruitment and retention.

5:18

For recruitment and retention efforts, I recently just put out notices for anyone who is interested in a specialty assignment or creating a pathway to additional duties and responsibilities beyond patrol, whether it was investigations, uh crime scene analysis, intelligence analysis task force officers, so that we could see who was interested in staying in the organization, but also wanted additional support that received an overwhelming response from uh within the organization as we did that.

5:49

I also just put out recently for professional development for the first time.

5:54

If any of our lieutenants, captains, or deputy chiefs were interested in attending the IACP, the International Association Chiefs of Police Conference, that we could support that kind of development.

6:04

And then we also are taking applications for the FBI National Academy that the FBI has offered and said that Jackson will have one slot.

6:13

I'm hoping to get at least one a year.

6:15

And so we are now in the process of allowing opportunities for people to develop to be developed further.

6:22

As part of those recruitment and retention efforts, we're also looking at if we send you to a specialized training that costs the city a certain amount of money, that we be able to sign a contract with you that you stay with us, and then if you do not stay, it's prorated in which you reimburse the city.

6:41

We've had a lot of individuals who we have trained and have had this high level of training only to complete the training and go to another agency and then take their training with us.

6:51

So the ability to retain talent is one of the things that we are looking at.

6:55

In addition, ability to retain talent, we have presented a proposal to HR about a complete health and wellness initiative within Jackson Police Department, in which we would phase one, Jackson Police Department, and then phase two would also be uh fire and public works, um, those jobs that need a lot of support around physical fitness, mental health, stress, um, etc.

7:20

Uh we've presented that result proposal because not only is HR can be supportive, but we also understand that our current insurance providers will give us support and dollars for that that would be cost neutral to the city.

7:35

There would be no cost to the city whatsoever, but there is a benefit to our officers.

7:40

That would include developing a particular app for this initiative that we could have for each of the different departments.

7:46

It's wellness planning, it's um assessments, physical assessments, accountability partners, meal prep, and discounted uh to the to the physical fitness facilities as well.

8:00

So there are quite a few things that we are doing to continue to engage officers, but also to offer individuals who want to come to our communities, that we are doing some of the more innovative uh creative things here as well.

8:14

Continuing another area that we're looking at uh providing opportunities, as you know, the city has just been awarded a grant to purchase two unmanned aerial devices or drones, and part of that would be the opportunity to become a pilot of those aerial devices and how they would get the additional training officers and our younger individuals love technology.

8:40

So knowing that there's more pathways to engage beyond the basic 911 call services, although we understand that is absolutely important.

8:49

We do need to show people the ability to expand and to grow and to stretch and be a much more productive part of the community.

8:59

So that's currently where we are and where we stand on our recruitment and our retention efforts.

9:05

Thank you, Chief.

9:06

And uh, can you uh this is I'm not familiar with myself.

9:09

What is um sort of an entry-level position if you if you wanted to just join the police force?

9:15

What are the requirements what are the minimum require qualifications or requirements to to be, for example, a patrol officer or um and and 911 dispatcher or what are the entry-level minimum qualifications?

9:29

So the the majority of them are high school education is what they're requiring, uh, a GED or equivalent of a high school education for all of the positions.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Public Safety█████████████████████████████████████████████55%

Personnel Matters████████████████████24%

Technology and Innovation████████████15%

Public Works█████6%

Summary of Proceedings

Jackson Public Safety Community Meeting (September 10, 2026)

On September 10, 2026, the City of Jackson held a public safety community meeting focused on police officer retention and recruitment and the real-time command center camera network. Police Chief Rochelle Brackney presented updates and answered questions from council members. No agenda or minutes were available, so this summary is based on the raw transcript.

Agenda Item 1: Officer Retention and Recruitment

Chief Brackney reported that Jackson PD was preparing for an October academy class with at least 33 individuals coming through partner departments.
Recruitment strategies included loan forgiveness for public safety employees after 10 years of public service, with stringent conditions, and a proposed sign-on bonus structure where an officer would receive half after the first six successful months and the other half after the next six months.
Chief Brackney said retention efforts included a health and wellness initiative proposal submitted to HR, phased first for Jackson PD and later for other departments, with an app component. She stated the initiative would be cost-neutral to the city because current insurance providers would support it.
She described tracking resignations, including whether an officer was under investigation at the time of resignation and whether they left for another agency.
Investigations cited neglect of duty, incomplete reports, incomplete investigations, no follow-ups, and body-worn camera reviews. Chief Brackney noted that one answer she received during investigations was that the officer had been given the policy on a certain date, which did not fully resolve the accountability question.
Council members asked whether HR was involved to ensure procedures were followed before termination to protect the city. Chief Brackney said supervisors were creating electronic folders for each officer to document counseling, evaluations, and conversations, and that all issues still came up to the chief's office for internal affairs filing.
A council member said retention comes down to support and respect, and asked whether that culture exists from the chief down. Chief Brackney acknowledged the department needs to grow and that pay is only part of the challenge.
Council members described the current force size as 208, below where they want it to be, and expressed support for temporarily declining in numbers if it means retaining quality officers who do not violate civil rights or commit crimes. One council member asked the chief to make clear if a certain staffing number is not actually needed.
Council members discussed the traditional police academy model, noting it excludes people who cannot afford to quit their day jobs to get certified. One council member asked whether alternative certification paths or academy changes were needed, and questioned whether having to "babysit" recruits for 12 weeks indicates the right temperament for policing.
Staffing details included two sergeants per shift being allocated, though not fully staffed, with exact numbers to be provided later.
Discussion also referenced a city take-home vehicle policy issued in May 2026. JPD mirrored it by requiring officers who meet the criteria to notify the department, and sent a memo aligned with Mississippi state law and the city attorney's guidance. One council member suggested upper staff may have misunderstood the policy and should be consulted.

Agenda Item 2: Cameras and Real-Time Command Center

Chief Brackney said the real-time command center should be staffed by civilian or non-sworn professional staff because that is the best use of personnel, rather than assigning sworn officers to watch cameras.
She said the department had advertised and interviewed to fill all four real-time command center positions, and that the unit was down to two occupied positions.
Officers are being brought up to standard on real-time command center access and certification, including reinstating PINs and passwords because usage and access had been very low.
A project was described to co-locate 911 operations next to the real-time command center so dispatchers and 911 operators could also see cameras.
Chief Brackney described a demonstration earlier that day showing how different systems could be integrated to talk to each other and data mine, and said attendees were impressed by the time savings.
Data from CAD is pulled for all JPD police calls. The goal is to identify conditions that create public safety hazards, including crime, blight, and fire conditions, and to use a model cities initiative to create a digital twin showing the city's state of hazards and readiness.
Council members discussed camera costs, noting each community camera is part of the Jackson PD budget. There was caution about sharing details publicly for safety reasons, and concern about who has access and who pays the bills.
One council member proposed using an unmanned aerial device to identify out streetlights rather than sending officers to look at telephone poles at night, and said lighting is inseparable from public safety. The suggestion included coordinating with Entergy to get a larger scan view and understand its capabilities.
A council member stressed that every department should be able to provide key performance indicators such as response times, with support systems in place, and referenced metrics sent by the city's KPI consultant.

Key Outcomes

No formal votes were reported; the meeting was informational and discussion-oriented.
Next steps included providing exact staffing numbers, continuing the real-time command center buildout, pursuing 911 co-location, exploring nontraditional recruitment paths, working with HR on the health and wellness initiative, coordinating with Entergy on streetlight data, and improving the ability of departments to produce requested metrics.

Meeting Transcript

I would like to call to a public safety community meeting for September 10th, 2026 to order. Colleagues, are there any open introductions? Okay. Next, we would discuss agenda item number one, officer retention and recruitment. Chief Brattney, if you would approach the podium. Or you may want to sit down if it's comfortable. Or sit down, whatever make you have to do it. Whatever makes you comfortable. Okay, well, we'll start off whichever way you want to go, you you all can answer your first question if you have any. You can go. Thank you. How is retention and recruitment going? Thank you for that. Um thank you, ma'am. I appreciate you. Rochelle Brackney, uh, chief of police, Jackson PD. So we are currently um poisoning ourselves to um have another October class that we have on. We are current. If you would like the statistics, I can help you out with that if you allow me the benefit of putting on my glasses to get us to where our current status is. I just actually inquired about where we were and how we were going to be moving forward, um, particularly since we do recoup our costs from the state to a large degree, it's about uh 4,500 or so in officer that we put through regardless of what jurisdiction that they are coming to us uh from. And so the latest numbers uh that I just got from our chief is that we have currently give me one second, sir. I'll pull the numbers up. We currently have five that we know that are definitely coming that have already cleared all of the the paperwork and they're now doing the psychological exam. We have another six that just went through the physical fitness assessment as well, and then there's um another seven that are taking the test, and so we're in various phases of it. With other departments that are sending them to us, we are looking to host between um our departments, and there's 33 individuals minimum at this academy class coming through in October. We had uh nine that just graduated from the academy, and which uh all nine entered into FTO training. We have um had to um discontinue the employment of one, and then there um we are also um evaluating the possibility of having to discontinue the employment of um others in that class. Um, in terms of um our resignations and our retirements that are going on, they are at the the normal levels in terms of retirement. Um recruitment efforts. We have now um, and then I just got an email from Director Toya Martin where Alcorn State does an annual fair here, but we have already been in conversations and talks to have a direct pipeline from them to JPD setting up a program with Alcorn to be able to come uh directly from a cadet style program into uh Jackson Police Department. We do not currently have a a an established cadet program uh that has been used as a pipeline into the organization. Now, the one thing you have to understand is that traditionally four-year institutions and job fairs are not the places that will net you the recruitment um opportunities that you would want, because as we all know, this is a very competitive field. If a person comes out with a four-year degree or with a master's degree, um, the thought about doing public service or civil service work has waned very differently. And thus the original programs of Teach for America or that came into place so that you would have to do government service in order to get loan forgiveness and things of that nature. There are things that we can do to recruit uh loan forgiveness is often one for public safety if you've done public service for 10 years and you've pay them that you can waive loans, but there is very stringent conditions often to that, which means 120 consecutive payments for your loans back, and so us being able to possibly offer uh partial loan forgiveness and if a person applies for it, or is a great recruitment effort. We are also looking at is there ways that we can recruit successfully if you speak a second language, if you have a degree, if you have an additional skill set that you already come with that we could offer one-time sign-on bonuses that allow you after you signed on the first six months, you're successful, you get half of it, and then the other six months you get the other half of that bonus that it then builds in recruitment and retention. For recruitment and retention efforts, I recently just put out notices for anyone who is interested in a specialty assignment or creating a pathway to additional duties and responsibilities beyond patrol, whether it was investigations, uh crime scene analysis, intelligence analysis task force officers, so that we could see who was interested in staying in the organization, but also wanted additional support that received an overwhelming response from uh within the organization as we did that. I also just put out recently for professional development for the first time. If any of our lieutenants, captains, or deputy chiefs were interested in attending the IACP, the International Association Chiefs of Police Conference, that we could support that kind of development. And then we also are taking applications for the FBI National Academy that the FBI has offered and said that Jackson will have one slot. I'm hoping to get at least one a year. And so we are now in the process of allowing opportunities for people to develop to be developed further. As part of those recruitment and retention efforts, we're also looking at if we send you to a specialized training that costs the city a certain amount of money, that we be able to sign a contract with you that you stay with us, and then if you do not stay, it's prorated in which you reimburse the city. We've had a lot of individuals who we have trained and have had this high level of training only to complete the training and go to another agency and then take their training with us. So the ability to retain talent is one of the things that we are looking at. In addition, ability to retain talent, we have presented a proposal to HR about a complete health and wellness initiative within Jackson Police Department, in which we would phase one, Jackson Police Department, and then phase two would also be uh fire and public works, um, those jobs that need a lot of support around physical fitness, mental health, stress, um, etc. Uh we've presented that result proposal because not only is HR can be supportive, but we also understand that our current insurance providers will give us support and dollars for that that would be cost neutral to the city. There would be no cost to the city whatsoever, but there is a benefit to our officers. That would include developing a particular app for this initiative that we could have for each of the different departments. It's wellness planning, it's um assessments, physical assessments, accountability partners, meal prep, and discounted uh to the to the physical fitness facilities as well.

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