She would follow him into the night, and he would become a victim of Jackson’s record-breaking 155 homicides in 2021, the highest per capita murder rate. The city with the highest number of slayings in 2021 was higher than Atlanta, Detroit and Birmingham. Lashanda Jennings -Hobbs is most concerned about her daughter’s death. According to police, Kennedy Hobbs, 18, had stopped at a Texaco gas station and convenience store. She was an innocent bystander when she received three bullets on June 1. Jennings-Hobbs said, “It is terrible.” “Something must be done about it.” Jackson’s murder rate per capita is the highest in the United States, according to Jennings-Hobbs. According to the Chicago Police Department, there were 799 homicides in Chicago in 2021, which is more than Jackson’s 155. The homicide rate in Chicago was 29.6 per 100,000 people, despite having a population of approximately 2.7 million. Jackson had a population of approximately 153,701 and was home to about 100 homicides per 100,000 residents. Detroit had 48.28 per 100,000 residents, which is more than four times that of Jackson. This was based on the city’s population of approximately 640,000. Detroit had 309 homicides in 2018, a decrease from the 324 it recorded in 2020. According to the Birmingham Times, there were 132 homicides in Birmingham last year. This is the most since 1994. Based on the 2020 Census, the city’s population is approximately 200,733. According to the 2020 Census, Birmingham had a 65.75 homicide rate per 100,000 inhabitants. Atlanta has roughly the same number as Jackson with a population four times larger than Jackson. Atlanta police stated that they had investigated 158 homicides between 2021 and 2021. Three of those were incidents that occurred in the preceding year. Atlanta has a population of approximately 500,000 people. This means that the city’s homicide rate was 31.6 per 100,000. John Byrd (vice president of the Association of South Jackson Neighborhoods) stated that Jackson has a higher rate of murder than Atlanta. Byrd stated that Jackson is home to two types of crime: crime of opportunity and crime in passion. Hobbs’ death has not been investigated by any authorities. Her boyfriend Jaquan Williams (21 years old) was also buried in the same grave. He was killed following a dispute at a convenience store. Lumumba stated that they are still working behind the scenes to combat violent crime in Jackson. We know that the pandemic has exacerbated the desperation that leads people to commit violent crimes across the country, and Jackson is no exception to this trend. While we all share this unfortunate reality, it would not be complete to attribute the increase in Jackson’s crime to the pandemic. Lumumba stated that there are many contributing factors in Jackson and Hinds County. Lumumba stated that there are other factors contributing to the city’s high homicide rate. However, these are not excuses. Instead, residents must be aware of the realities behind the scenes. According to the mayor, the city held a second crime summit. This allowed officials from all levels of government, including federal, state, and city officials. Lumumba stated that we also keep increasing the number of police officers in our department through training academy and pay increases. As I have said, this is not a problem that we can merely out-police. There are many factors that play a role. There are many factors at play. The onset of COVID-19 in 2020 saw the Jackson homicide rate rise to 130. This is the highest number of homicides since 1995, when it had 92 murders. The city broke the record once more last year. However, homicides continued to rise in many cities including Boston, Charlotte and Dallas. But most importantly, they fell in St. Louis where, in 2020, the city of 300,000. had the worst homicide rate in the country — and like Jackson in 2021, was the highest recorded in the city’s historical history. Last year?homicides dropped? According to police crime data, murders fell 26 percent last year. According to police crime data, Mayor Tishaura Jones stated that the drop was a sign her strategy of dealing with violent crime at the source — by reducing poverty and engaging young people and allowing the police to concentrate their efforts on the most violent offenders — could be successful. Robert Johnson, former Jackson Police Chief, stated that poverty and unemployment are not to blame for the rise in gun violence in Mississippi’s capital. Johnson was appointed chief in 1995. Johnson stated that poverty and unemployment have been a part of our history. Johnson, who has over 32 years experience in federal security, law enforcement and corrections, stated that he learned a lot from his first year as Jackson’s police chief. He believes there needs to be better resource allocation and manpower distribution. Johnson, who was once Mississippi’s corrections commissioner, said that he doesn’t understand why the number of police officers has declined so dramatically. “A police force as small and ineffective as Jackson’s will not be able to effectively investigate homicides,” Johnson said. It can often take hundreds of man-hours in order to investigate a murder. The Jackson Police Department budget was for 400 officers, but there was a vacancy of around 100 officers. Davis stated that the number of open positions was reduced to 67 by the numerous recruit classes held by the department in 2021. The number of openings is now back at 69. Two rookie Jackson officers were charged in December by Flowood police with marijuana possession and open container violations. Police in Flowood stated that the officers were taken into custody at a nature trail following reports of marijuana users. Jackson put the officers on administrative leave. According to WGN-TV, Chicago saw a massive exodus in police officers in the past two years. More than 1,000 left the force including 600 who resigned, or retired, within the first six months. While Detroit has seen some loss of police officers over the years, there was no major exodus. Atlanta reported last year that it had 400 officers short in its police department, despite having a budget for 2,000 officers. Keisha Lance Bottom, the then-Mayor of Atlanta, stated that 250 additional officers would be hired by the city. After serving one term, Bottom resigned this month. Birmingham reported that some officers had left the department which employs more than 900 officers. However, there has not been a mass exodus. Johnson hired Byrd as a data analyst to help him when he was chief. Johnson said that one of the reasons for the increase in crime in Jackson was a lack of officers, from dispatcher to sworn, and a shortage in personnel in the courts. Johnson stated that too many of those who are convicted of a crime, even if they are arrested, become repeat offenders. Johnson stated that Jackson officials should be serious about increasing the number of police officers. Johnson said that they could add police officers from other areas. He also said that Jackson used to have a strong reserve unit of citizens. Johnson stated that he started community policing 25-years ago. However, the city failed to sustain a steady effort over the years in order to fully implement community police. Davis stated that the COVID pandemic has hindered community policing. Johnson also recommends that each homicide be thoroughly analyzed to determine if they are related. Johnson said that the analysis revealed a lot interconnections in homicides when he was chief of police. Johnson stated that if there had been an action in the first case, it could have prevented others. Johnson also spoke of the necessity to analyze certain cases. Retired Jackson city employee Byrd said that data showed that the majority of Jackson shootings are from one demographic, 13-31 year olds. Byrd suggested: Johnson also said that you should not forget the broken window theory. “If you ignore small crimes, it will lead to something big. He said that we have witnessed a decline in respect for law enforcement over the years. “If you have a populace that expects nothing to occur if you are convicted of a small offense, it will eventually erupt into something larger… If they are slinging drugs, eventually they’ll sling bullets.”