Gov. Tate Reeves addresses members of the media during Tuesday's press conference announcing Operation Unified. (Photo by Jeremy Pittari | Magnolia Tribune)
- Governor has not ruled out making such a move in Jackson to help crack down on crime, if necessary.
On Thursday, Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves (R) defended his decision to send troops from the Mississippi National Guards to Washington D.C. to assist with President Donald Trump’s efforts to curb violent crime in the nation’s capital.
Earlier this year, President Trump’s Joint Task Force in D.C. called on National Guard troops to assist federal and local law enforcement agencies. In response, six states sent a total of about 2,000 troops to D.C., according to a release from the National Guard. Mississippi was one of those states.
With violent crime and shootings being reported weekly in the city of Jackson, some are wondering why Governor Reeves has not sent troops into the state’s capital to help curb crime.
“A ton of (mostly out of state) commenters on this platform keep asking why I have deployed the MS National Guard to Washington and not to the city of Jackson,” Reeves wrote on social media. “I believe – the bad inferences, bad intentions and ignorance of the facts notwithstanding – it is a fair question and one that deserves an answer. So here goes: Short answer – it turns out the Governor of Mississippi can walk and chew gum at the same time!”
Reeves then went on to include a more detailed response.
“The MS National Guard members there all volunteered to go, all are on federal orders and all will remain so as long it takes,” Reeves said. “The Governor also continues to prioritize maintaining law and order throughout Mississippi, including significant investment in law enforcement in Jackson.”
Recent news reports state that the National Guard’s stay in D.C. has been expanded until November.
The investment within Jackson referenced by Reeves includes the expansion of the Capitol Police both in jurisdiction and manpower. Last year, the Capitol Police and Jackson Police Department reported that their combined efforts are indeed helping to crack down on crime.
“Working with the Legislature, [the governor] created the CCID and he signed legislation that turned the Capitol Police – which previously served primarily as security officers for state buildings – into a true law enforcement agency that can help fight back against crime in the city,” the post went on to declare. “Through Capitol Police, the state of Mississippi hired approximately 175 police officers that were put on the streets to fight crime.”
The presence of those officers, and the more than 250 with the Jackson Police Department, led Reeves to decide not to send the National Guard into Mississippi’s capital city.
Capitol Police also cut the ribbon on their new headquarters, located in the city’s downtown.
Governor Reeves added that he and the Legislature also expanded the court system within Jackson to keep up with the additional arrests being made due to the additional law enforcement presence. That expansion included more prosecutors within the District Attorney’s office as well as in public defenders and a new inferior court with additional judges just for the Capitol Complex Improvement District.
Jackson’s CCID is the primary jurisdiction of the Capitol Police.
While the National Guard has not yet been deployed to Jackson, such a move is not out of the question if it deemed necessary.
“Governor Reeves has been clear that law and order is going to be maintained in Jackson and throughout the state. If he decides it takes deploying the National Guard to do that, he’s certainly not ruling it out,” the social media stated.
