VIDEO: Police Chiefs Talk Politics

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – Someone who walks hand-in-hand with city police departments is the local state representative.

Legislation can play a significant role in how policemen do their job.

It makes a lot of sense, because for there to be law enforcement, there needs to be laws to be enforced, which are made by our state legislator.

However, there are some things not yet in the law, and local chiefs would like to see that changed.

Having a conference like the Mississippi Association of Chiefs of Police Winter Conference in Starkville is where police chiefs are given the opportunity to discuss issues of their interest.

“We’ll be looking at new laws, and it also gives a chance for all the chiefs of police to get together for us to compare notes and see what things are going on in different cities and see how similar they are,” said Association President and Biloxi Police Chief, John Miller.

There are talks of new laws, but there are also laws that have not yet been signed into existence, and police would like to see some changes.

“There are several things that we’re looking at. One would be help for the mentally ill,” said Miller.

“That’s one thing we are encountering more and more of in law enforcement,” said Starkville Police Chief, Frank Nichols. “You have vets that are coming back from overseas. We have to deal with them.”

According to a 2016 census, almost 75,000 Mississippians suffer from either severe schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.

A law to increase the funding and treatment of these citizens can help solve a larger problem police face.

“We think if we could curb some of our mentally ill folks that are living on the streets, it would certainly do away with some of the homelessness outside of the bigger cities,” said Miller.

The Mississippi Legislature convenes in Jackson on January 2nd.