The city of Jackson recently brought aboard a new police chief – an experienced law enforcement professional with decades of service, including as a commander with the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police in Pennsylvania – who is now working to meet with members of the public to discuss how to best police Mississippi’s capital city.
Dr. RaShall Brackney, who started April 1 after being confirmed by the Jackson City Council, will meet with residents, business owners, and faith leaders across the city, beginning this week in Wards 5 and 6. The city has seven wards, all of which will be visited by the new chief, according to Mayor John Horhn’s office. Residents are encouraged to attend the meeting in their ward or on any date that works best for them.
“I want every neighborhood in Jackson to know that their voice matters and that their police department is listening,” Brackney said. “These meetings are a chance for me to sit down with residents where they live, worship, and work, to hear directly about what’s working, what isn’t, and how we can move forward to make every part of this city safer.”
Upcoming community meetings will be held on April 14 at 6 p.m. at Georgetown Event Center; April 16 at 6 p.m. at Christ United Church; April 30 at 6 p.m. at Stronger Hope Church; May 1 at 9 a.m. at Union Station; and May 5 at 6 p.m. at South Jackson Community Center.
Each meeting will include a brief opening by Brackney, an overview of current public safety efforts, and an open listening session for residents to share concerns, ask questions, and offer ideas. Additional meeting dates are expected to be announced soon.
Who is the new Jackson police chief?
Dr. RaShall Brackney comes to Jackson byway of several stops throughout the northeast. She spent much of career – 31 years to be exact – with the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police. She rose through the ranks and became a commander overseeing major crimes, operations, special operations, administration, and crime analysis.
She left Pittsburgh in 2015 to become chief of the George Washington University Police Department in Washington, D.C.
She was hired in 2018 as chief in Charlottesville, Va., during a tumultuous period in the city’s history lowlighted by a white supremacist rally the previous summer. During her confirmation hearing in Jackson, Brackney said she “rebuilt trust” in Charlottesville by firing officers for inappropriate behavior and changing the way the department operates. She was later fired in 2022 and subsequently sued the city for $10 million, alleging race and gender discrimination. The case was dismissed in 2023.
Brackney holds a PhD in instructional management and taught at George Mason University, where her classes focused on “police legitimacy, transparency, and reimagining public safety,” per Mayor John Horhn’s office.
Brackney was confirmed by the Jackson City Council on Feb. 24 in a 6-1 vote. In a later vote, her salary of $150,000 was approved by the council. She officially took on the role as chief of the Jackson Police Department on April 1.
Jackson surpasses 20 homicides in 2026
Over the weekend, Jackson surpassed 20 homicides for the current calendar year.
A Saturday shooting at 1009 Branch Street left a 71-year-old dead before the Jackson Police Department quickly arrested the shooter. That was the city’s 21st homicide of the year, with the 20th happening on the sidewalk in front of a gas station in the 500 block of Cooper Road on Friday night. An arrest in the case had been made by Sunday.
If numbers continue, Jackson is projected to have between 74 and 75 homicides in 2026. In 2025, Jackson had 75 homicides – a stark difference from its record-high number of 160 in 2021.
