JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – Jackson Police Chief Joseph Wade is again pushing for pay raises for his officers.
During budget presentations on Wednesday, Wade outlined the needs of the Jackson Police Department for the upcoming year, saying additional raises are needed to help the department maintain its current momentum.
“It’s about the future of the Jackson Police Department. It’s about the future leadership of the Jackson Police Department, and for us to maintain the momentum we have, we have got to get these raises as we move forward,” he said.
Wade, who was appointed police chief last year, said raises are needed, in part, to keep officers from going to other departments, even though some of those departments pay less.
[READ: ‘We will attack violent crime’: Joseph Wade confirmed as Jackson Police Chief]
“A lot of these bedroom communities are paying a competitive salary, but the work that they do compared to the work that Jackson does is not comparable,” he said. “We answer 6,000 calls for service. These other agencies are not even equivalent to one of our precincts, as far as manpower and calls for service.”
“The slowest precinct that we have averages between five and 600 calls for service a week.”
Raises will be, on average, around $2,000, with pay for recruits going from $48,000 to $50,000 and pay for police officers out of the Jackson Police Training Academy going from $49,500 to $51,000. A full list of the proposed raises is in the chart below.
| JPD pay by position | Current | Proposed increase |
|---|---|---|
| Police recuit | $48,000 | $50,000 |
| Police Officer 1/Police Officer 2 | $49,500/51,000 | $51,500/$53,000 |
| Corporal | $54,000 | $56,000 |
| Sergeant | $57,000 | $59,000 |
| Lieutenant | $60,000 | $62,000 |
| Captain/Commander | $63,000 | $65,000 |
| Deputy Chief | $73,148.66 | $75,000 |
| Assistant Chief | $80,618.98 | $82,618 |
| Chief | $115,259 | No change |
Since being appointed chief, Wade has led the department in a resurgence, seeing the number of officers going from 221 to 263. With the additional staffing, he’s been able to implement a Cold Case Unit and neighborhood anti-crime unit. He’s also been able to boost numbers in the Investigation Division, leading to significant increases in JPD’s homicide solve rate.
Those additional officers have presented some challenges for the department, including its ability to keep every officer in a vehicle.
The department currently has 213 operable vehicles, compared to 263 employees. Meanwhile, another 315 JPD vehicles are sitting inoperable at the city’s garage.
To help address needs, he’s asking the council to increase his vehicle purchasing budget from around $437,000 to $750,000, an amount that would allow JPD to purchase 15 vehicles.
“Of course, we need more than 15. Last year got us eight. If there were more monies allocated to get more vehicles… I would be more than receptive [to] receiving it,” he said. “We have to have the tools we need to be successful and getting from point A to B is very important.”
Ward 5 Councilman Vernon Hartley commended the chief for his budget report and asked whether some of the inoperable vehicles could be auctioned to help fund new purchases.
Wade said not all of the vehicles could be fixed, but there was a possibility they could be auctioned.
The chief also is seeking a $50,000 increase in JPD’s towing budget, to cover an increase in towing costs. He also is asking for $96,000 to purchase and install license plate readers at the city’s main egress and ingress points, and $75,000 to purchase “safe city” cameras to install in high-crime areas.
“It’s a huge investment that we have to make here in the city of Jackson to help us have a true impact on these auto thefts [and] carjackings that are decimating our city,” he said. “We owe it to our citizens to have this technology.”
Budget deliberations continue through September 25. The city must have its budget in place before the 2025 fiscal year begins on October 1.
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