Note: Reprint of March 7th Facebook post by Israel Smith for Jackson Parish Sheriff
I read a recent post about the importance of training within an agency. Training is important. Every law enforcement professional knows that. But the truth is, despite the resources of the Jackson Parish Sheriff’s Department, what other agencies inside this parish that benefit from those resources, that training, or the transparency that is being claimed? I know for a fact that Jonesboro PD does not.
I can personally say that during my time as Chief of Police, I have never been notified of any training offered by the Sheriff’s Department. Not once. I will not speak for every agency in the parish, but I know for a fact that other departments have experienced the same exclusion. But these are parish tax dollars.
What I have done, however, is the opposite. I personally went to the Sheriff’s Department and offered every resource we have at Jonesboro Police Department. Those resources have been used throughout this parish to help solve crimes make arrest and assist other agencies. That cooperation has never been publicly acknowledged because we dont do it to be acknowleged, we do it because it’s tge right thing to do.
Let’s also talk about the parish jail. This facility is funded by the taxpayers of Jackson Parish. I am a taxpayer. I live here, spend money here, and own property here just like the citizens I serve. Yet as Chief of Police, we have repeatedly been unable to utilize the parish jail for certain arrestees without fierce scrutiny from the warden. For a good amount of time we have been unable to house any misdameanor that include execution of sentence, misdameanor theft, battery or other charges that affect our citizens.
We are constantly told the jail is overcrowded or that inmates from outside the parish are being housed there. But this is Jackson Parish’s jail. When someone breaks into a citizen’s vehicle and steals or go into a rtore and steal, if it is a misdemeanor, the jail refuses to hold them. When someone commits a simple battery and our officers investigate the case, make the arrest, and bring the offender in, the jail refuses to hold them.
This is not speculation. These concerns have been brought directly to the current sheriff and to the current warden. The response has been clear and consistent: the Jackson Parish Jail will not take those arrestees from the Jonesboro Police Department. What do we have to do in those situations? I’ll tell you. We have to reach out to jails outside the parish for housing options.
So when we talk about transparency on Facebook, let’s tell the whole truth. Let’s not pretend that every agency in this parish is being supported equally. Let’s not talk like we have a united agency that is for the people, no that is not true. That is not transparency and it is not professionalism.
It is a disservice to the citizens of Jonesboro and to the people of Jackson Parish who expect their laws to be enforced and their community to be protected.
If we are going to have public conversations, then we need to have honest ones. I will always speak the truth about the obstacles we face, because the people of this parish deserve honesty, not political narratives. Let’s talk about it.