Jackson to receive $64 million in federal funding to fight violent crime
By Joe Callahan
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JACKSON, Mississippi (WAPT-D2) — The Department of Justice has announced $64 million in funding for Jackson, Mississippi, through the Model Cities Initiative to address violent crime and enhance public safety over the next three years.
“This figure, this $64 million, represents the commitment that the Department of Justice is investing in the city of Jackson, Mississippi, to help them fight violent crime and to increase public safety,” said U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche.
Jackson was one of 47 municipalities that applied for the funding and one of only four jurisdictions selected. Blanche highlighted the city’s need for assistance, citing concerning statistics.
“From August 2025 to August 2026, a one-year period, this city’s gunshot detectors recorded over 8,000 shots fired in just one half square mile. That’s 22 shots fired every single day. That’s in less than one half of one percent. That’s not fair to Jackson residents, not fair to visitors, or generations of Mississippians that call this home,” Blanche said.
The Department of Justice described the initiative as a flagship effort to combat violent crime, restore law and order, and strengthen public safety. Jackson Police Department Chief RaShall Brackney said the funding will help the city respond to crime more effectively and create conditions that reduce its likelihood.
“Our ambition is to make Jackson better at responding to crime. It’s not simply—it is to make Jackson better at creating the conditions in which crime is less likely to occur,” Brackney said.
The funding will support improvements such as a modernized forensic laboratory, competitive pay for police officers, a real-time command center with gunshot-detection arrays, and other measures.
Melody Vaughn, a mother of a missing child, shared her hope that the initiative will prevent other families from experiencing the pain her family has endured.
“I cannot change the four years my family has spent waiting for answers. But I hope that what is being done here today would change the experience of another mother and a family tomorrow,” Vaughn said.
Officials said the city will begin receiving funds in early 2027, with improvements expected to follow shortly thereafter.
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