Capitol Police or JPD - who polices our parks?
Jackson police chief says department holds citywide authority over ordinance enforcement
Police Chief Bratney told the City Council that JPD, not Capitol Police, is responsible for enforcing noise, parking and similar city ordinances anywhere in Jackson.
Bratney made the remarks during the October 19 zoning meeting after a Fondren-area resident told the council her neighborhood association had been unable to get a response to repeated complaints. "JPD is citywide... please dial the 601-960-1800 number if you want a non-emergency police response to a location for any city ordinances — those are noise ordinances, parking, loitering, being in the parks after dark — those kinds of calls... those are the ones that we enforce, that Capitol Police does not have jurisdiction, or power and authority, to enforce," Bratney said. The council asked Bratney to connect directly with the neighborhood association to resolve the issue.
The exchange followed complaints from the Fondren-area association that Capitol Police, the state-run force operating in Jackson, had repeatedly redirected its noise and parking complaints while JPD's precinct did not respond. Bratney's on-the-record statement clarifying that JPD alone holds authority over city ordinances citywide adds a documented marker to the broader, ongoing question of how policing responsibilities are divided between state and city forces in Jackson.