Mayor John Horhn wants 500 police officers in Jackson.
During his first Jackson City Council meeting as mayor, Horhn reaffirmed his commitment to public safety, announcing plans to retain Police Chief Joseph Wade and continue expanding the ranks of the Jackson Police Department. Horhn also reiterated several of his administrative appointments announced last week.
The announcement comes as Jackson is experiencing its lowest number of homicides in years. The city saw a 42% drop in killings during the first half of 2025 compared to the same period last year. From January through June, the city recorded 36 homicides — 31 handled by JPD and five by Capitol Police. That’s down from 62 in the same time frame last year. That being said, the city saw three homicides over the Fourth of July weekend, bringing 2025’s total to 40.
Newly elected Jackson, Miss., Mayor John Horhn attends his first city council meeting as mayor in Jackson on Tuesday, July 8, 2025.
Wade, originally appointed by former Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba, was confirmed as chief in August 2023. When he took over, JPD had approximately 220 sworn officers. Now, JPD stands at approximately 265, while Capitol Police has approximately 160. Together, that’s 425 officers throughout the capital city.
“If we can get that number up to 500, I’ll be satisfied,” Horhn said.
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Speaking after the Tuesday, July 8 meeting, Wade said he was honored to be retained and looks forward to working with Horhn and his administration.
“This is my 30th year with the Jackson Police Department. I started back in 1995,” Wade said. “We have made a lot of progress over the past two years, but we still have so much more work to do.
During the meeting, Ward 3 Councilman Kenneth Stokes said he wouldn’t support some of Horhn’s other picks — which require council approval — arguing that more money should be directed to the Police Department under Wade. If that means cutting certain positions or even eliminating departments, he said, so be it.
“We need to find any fat in the budget, any money that we can send to the police to hire more officers and pay them,” Stokes told the Clarion Ledger after the meeting. “If that means we need to merge some departments, then let’s merge them. The population has decreased, you don’t need all these departments like we still have 200,000 people. Make the city safe, that’s the first priority and that’s what the people want.”
Horhn appears to be thinking along the same lines. During the meeting, he said he had spoken with Wade and told him the “handcuffs are off.” Horhn also said he would be “looking very closely” at the upcoming fiscal year’s budget, which will be finalized in September, to find ways to give JPD more resources.
“Whatever limitations or restrictions or whatever handcuffs were placed on you in terms of doing your job, those handcuffs are off,” Horhn said, as applause rang out in the council chambers. “We want you to do your job.”
“There you go!” Ward 5 Councilman Vernon Hartley chimed in, looking towards Wade as the applause continued.
Asked afterward what those “handcuffs” referred to, Wade declined to elaborate.
“I don’t want to deep dive into that. That’s a conversation that I shared with the mayor, a conversation he shared with me and there are no handcuffs on me as I move forward. Not saying that there were to begin with, but I respect our conversation,” Wade said. “His (Horhn) slogan to me was ‘Chief, I’m taking the handcuffs off.’ We’re going to make sure that we’re giving the best police service, going to make sure our officers are professional, they’re well-trained and that have a good representation of the city when people come in contact with our police officers.”
Asked whether some might interpret the “handcuffs are off” comment to mean JPD would take a more aggressive approach to policing, Wade pushed back, saying, “We will always make sure that we’re treating people with dignity and respect and honoring their rights.”
Additionally, Wade said he plans to request another round of raises for officers — which, if approved, would mark the third consecutive year most officers received a pay increase.
“Our top priority is public safety. We have to have more troops, more sworn officers on the streets. They have to be better trained, they have to be better equipped, and they have to have the best technology,” Horhn said.
Contributed: Pam Dankins, Clarion Ledger
Contact Charlie Drape at cdrape@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Jackson MS Mayor Horhn backs Wade, says ‘handcuffs are off’ for JPD