The new mobile surveillance command center was approved by city officials earlier this month. The goal is that it will give police officers a birds-eye view of large outdoor spaces, especially crowded public gathering spots.

The trailer will come equipped with flashing blue lights to alert passersby to the presence of the police and their watchful eyes in the sky. Police Chief Don Gammage has said that the department has reviewed statistics that show that the trailers work to deter crime. When people realize they are being watched, Gammage says, the data shows a steep decline in criminal activity in the immediate vicinity. [Read more…]

Joel Smith, DA for Harrison, Stone and Hancock counties in South Mississippi, said that he grew sick of seeing the same faces in court over and over again. Smith said that while our justice system is built on giving everyone a second chance, he does not believe that people should be given three, four and five opportunities to behave in accordance with the law.

As a result, Smith said that a top priority of his will be using all the legal tools at his disposal to prosecute habitual offenders in his jurisdiction. Just recently this was made a reality when three Harrison County defendants in separate drug cases, each with at least two prior convictions, were sentenced as habitual offenders. [Read more…]

Mississippi also has the grim distinction of being the nation’s leader in terms of average prison sentences, at 6.05 years, compared to the national average of 5.42. For a relatively small state in terms of population, Mississippi has 22,000 people in custody and another 39,000 under supervision.

The numbers announced by the Mississippi Department of Corrections also showed what was likely the root cause of the trouble. A shocking seventy-eight percent of the inmates in the state admit to using alcohol or drugs, many of whom committed crimes while under the influence or to feed a habit. [Read more…]