- More than $1.4 million is slated for the salaries of 31 new state troopers across the Magnolia State while the Capitol Police look to hire 10 new officers.
The Mississippi Department of Public Safety’s Fiscal Year 2027 budget bill is headed to the governor after the Legislature passed the agency’s appropriation Sunday night.
According to the budget worksheet provided to lawmakers, $167 million of the agency’s funding is coming from the state’s General Fund. The agreed upon conference report includes hiring more than three dozen new employees.
DPS will see a nearly 8.5% reduction from FY 2026, or nearly $16 million less than last year based on FY 2026 estimates.
The conference report outlines the department’s need for additional staff. More than $1.4 million is slated for the salaries of 31 new state troopers across the Magnolia State at the Mississippi Highway Patrol. The figure does take into account attrition and those new troopers graduating from the state’s academy.
Another $522,000 is set aside for three additional staff positions at the North Mississippi Medical Examiner’s Office. While the state has worked to reduce the backlog of autopsies, it is still lagging. The lack of timely autopsy reporting has led to delays in homicide trials, prosecutors have said.
Another $685,000 of General Fund money is headed to the Capitol Police in an effort to hire 10 new officers. Lawmakers have expanded the Capitol Complex Improvement District in recent years to include additional territory in the City of Jackson in effort to combat crime. Currently, the Capital Police have roughly 145 officers.
More than $2.6 million will be used for heating and air conditioning repairs at the forensic lab in Biloxi.
Coming out of the Capital Expense fund is more than $278,000 for the law enforcement training academy in Rankin County. The funding is earmarked for repairs and renovations.
Finally, $180,000 is set aside for three 3-D image capturing units. The units are used to gather forensics for court trials.
The report was passed unanimously in both chambers with no questions after its presentation.
The governor can now sign the appropriation bill, veto it, or allow it to become law without his signature.
