Horhn introduces Brackney as new Jackson Police Chief ahead of Council confirmation vote

• RaShall Brackney brings over 30 years of experience to the Jackson Police Department. She was fired as chief in Charlottesville, Virginia, where she sued alleging discrimination.

Mayor John Horhn (D) introduced the city’s new police chief to the community on Tuesday, praising her as the “right person for Jackson.”

Horhn announced the selection of RaShall Brackney last week.

City leaders said Brackney brings more than three decades of law enforcement leadership, academic work, and community-centered public safety experience. She is a retired veteran of the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, where she served for over 30 years in a series of command and leadership roles. She later served as Chief of Police at George Washington University and as Chief of Police for the City of Charlottesville, Virginia.

According to the Washington Post, Brackney was hired as Charlottesville’s first black female police chief in 2017 and was then fired from the post in 2021. She sued the city, nine officials and a police union representative after being let go, claiming her firing “was discriminatory and was the result of her efforts to reform the department, according to court records.”

U.S. District Judge Norman K. Moon in Charlottesville dismissed the $10 million lawsuit. The Washington Post reported that Moon “found Brackney failed to allege sufficient facts to back her claims that she was dismissed because of racial and gender bias, that she was defamed by city officials and that her firing violated the state’s whistleblower statute, among other claims, according to the judge’s opinion.”

The Washington Post went on to report that “Brackney said in a statement she wasn’t surprised by the decision.”

“It would be disingenuous to say I am disappointed with the Judge’s decision—this is Charlottesville—I would not expect anything less,” she said, per the Washington Post. “Our team understands the racial politics of police reform and anti-blackness in the US, and notably, its influences on every institution, including the courts.”

As the capital city’s new top cop, Brackney said her to-do list is to listen and build a relationship with the people and communities in Jackson.

She said a police chief must “stop, pause and listen, to observe and hear from the officers and from the community.”

“Are officers equipped to do the job they’re expected to do? And are we delivering services at the level people deserve?” Brackney outlined as the two questions that will guide her tenure.

Several times during her introductory remarks Brackney reiterated the theme that Jackson presents big policing challenge but also an opportunity for police innovation. Citing her experience, she said she understands the role of chief.

“My focus is straightforward: stabilize the department, support those who serve, protect our neighborhoods, and to hold ourselves accountable every single day,” she said to a crowd of press, state and city officials, and citizens of Jackson.

The Jackson City Council must confirm Brackney before she officially starts the job. That confirmation could come on Tuesday, February 24 when the Council meets.

If confirmed, she will replace current interim police chief and Hinds County Sheriff Tyree Jones, who took the position after Joseph Wade resigned as chief and accepted a private sector job late last year.

While Brackney is expected to be confirmed, at least one Council member expressed disappointment that the city did not hire within the Jackson Police Department.

“Based on what I know and what I’ve read, I think we could have done a better job picking a person fitting the culture of Jackson,” Councilwoman Tina Clay (D) said. “I don’t think my vote will be in favor of her.”