Reinstated Jackson park ranger unit now patrolling. Police department close to full staffing

A newly reinstated park ranger unit is patrolling Jackson parks, fulfilling a City Council goal set in late August 2023.

During a Jackson City Council meeting in August 2023, councilmembers agreed to find funding to bring back a Jackson park ranger unit to curb ongoing crimes, including theft and vandalism within the city's 57 public parks.

The goal set during the August meeting included hiring five full-time park rangers. During Monday's public safety meeting, Chief of Jackson Police Joseph Wade told councilmembers four positions have been filled, leaving one spot unoccupied.

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The four rangers are already out working in the parks, marking the first time rangers have protected Jackson's parks since 2018.

Wade said all four rangers stepped up during the recent inclement weather that covered much of Mississippi, Jackson included, with ice and snow.

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The initial plan also included making room in the budget — around $75,000 on top of the $350,000 to pay the ranger salaries — for new security cameras in the parks.

Wade said the police department is still working on getting the cameras. This additional security is part of an effort to curb illegal dumping in the parks.

Future additional measures may include locking the parks after hours, a difficult effort given many parks have multiple points of entry.

With these measures in place, Wade said he wants to get back to a point where Jackson's public parks are "vibrant" parts of the city's community.

"We're losing money in our parks," Wade said. "We're constantly spending money to repair, replace and fix things."

The idea to reinstate a park ranger unit was originally brought to the council's attention in the August meeting by former Parks and Recreation Director Ison Harris, who resigned a little over a week later after serving eight years as director.

In early January, the council welcomed Abram Muhammad as its new director of Parks and Recreation. Abram was present at Monday's public safety meeting, but sat in the audience and did not participate in the ranger discussion. The council members acknowledged him at the end of the discussion.

Wade also shared an update on the police department as a whole. Not counting the four new rangers, the department now has a total of 265 active officers. In August, that number was 240.

With 265 active officers, that means the department is 10 positions away from its goal of having a full staff of 275 officers. Excluding the five ranger positions, the department is budgeted to have 275 active positions.

Got a news tip? Contact Mary Boyte at mboyte@jackson.gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Reinstated Jackson MS park ranger unit almost entirely filled