JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - A mayor is criticizing the Mississippi Department of Public Safety over its decision to stop investigating police shootings in the capital city.
The department announced Monday it will no longer do those investigations because Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba recently said officer names will be released within 72 hours if there’s no credible threat.
The Clarion Ledger reported that the new policy is based on a recommendation by a police transparency task force the mayor appointed.
Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, a division of DPS, investigates most on-duty police shootings in the state.
“We fully support and adhere to an impartial, fair, and transparent investigation,” DPS said in a statement. “We will not compromise an investigation, nor endanger the lives of witnesses, officers, or their families, by being forced by a predetermined 72-hour timeline to release such information or deem a case/investigation complete as a matter of course.”
Lumumba responded Tuesday that it’s “disingenuous” to say releasing names will compromise investigations.
“If that’s the case, then anytime a person of interest is mentioned on the news, then it could be argued that compromises an investigation,” Lumumba said.
The mayor said officer-involved shooting investigations will again become the primary responsibility of the Jackson Police Department, which he said was the case before he took office.
Lumumba said his decision to release officers’ names is consistent with recommendations from the U.S. Department of Justice. The mayor said Jackson’s new policy is ahead of the curve for the South and reflects similar decisions from some other law enforcement agencies in the U.S.
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Information from: The Clarion Ledger, http://www.clarionledger.com
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