Hinds Sheriff’s Department Applies For Grant To Rehire Deputies

The Board of Supervisors is allowing the Hinds County Sheriff’s Department to apply for a grant, so they can rehire five deputies who were laid off—-after 28 cuts were made at the department last month.
If approved, the “COPS Hiring Recovery Program” grant would pay the salaries of the deputies including benefits, for the next three years.
However, the grant requires that the county picks up the tab for the fourth year.
Hinds County District One supervisor Robert Graham tells us that will cost the county a little more than 178-thousand dollars.
“It’d mean a lot,“ said Hinds County Sheriff Malcolm McMillin. “I mean that’d be a tremendous help to us.“
“This is not an issue of law enforcement. This is not an issue of non-support. This is an issue of fiscal responsibility,“ said Phil Fisher.
Fisher is one of two board supervisors who voted against the grant.
“I’m not gonna bet county money and taxpayer dollars that we’re gonna be flushed with cash in four years and can do whatever we want to do,“ said Fisher.
Fisher thinks the grant will be a “quick fix” to get more deputies out on the streets, but once the county picks up the tab, he says it will hurt an already struggling budget.
“We’ve had a history of spending money that we don’t have,“ said Fisher. “We’ve all had a history of spending ahead, and its been a bad habit and spending money now, that we’re gonna have to fund four years from now, I think is a continuation of that bad habit.“
Fisher says the Sheriff’s Department didn’t tell the board how much the county will have to pay in four years to rehire the five deputies.
He says the board approved it, without a plan.
“Just to throw it out there and hope for the best, I just don’t budget like that. I’m not gonna do that,“ said Fisher.
Now the county has to wait for the federal government to approve the grant which could take up to five months.
The Sheriff tells us the department applies for this grant every year, so they can get new equipment and vehicles, but he says this is the first time they’re applying to add more personnel.