Jackson Free Press

The Jackson City Council cut off Police Chief Shirlene Anderson before she could go into the details of her proposed modular misdemeanor jail on Monday, saying they were looking for a more detailed version of the chief's crime plan.

Anderson showed confusion, saying she'd expected to detail her misdemeanor "work camp," and had gone so far as to invite JC Burns of Burns Development, in Ridgeland, and Bob Ragsdale of Branton Industries, in New Orleans, who are charged with developing the facility, to the presentation.

"We were told to meet today on the work camp proposal at 3 p.m. today, and we've invited individuals from New Orleans to talk about the camp," Anderson told the council.

Allen said he did not recall giving her those instructions.

Ward 2 Councilman Leslie McLemore said Anderson wouldn't have time to deliver the full details of her plan anyhow, with the 4 p.m. water/sewer committee riding her heels, and asked the chief to prepare a bigger presentation for the council at a later date. "I'd like to plan a discussion on the crime plan during the Quality of Life Committee next week, to give the chief time to prepare a Powerpoint," McLemore said.

Allen urged the chief to present a bigger plan before the issue "turns into a media sideshow."

The city is bleeding officers to surrounding cities and counties, and Anderson suggested upgrading salaries for more than 400 officers. Tying the mayor's plan to increase the officer head-count by an extra 200 cops would up the price tag of Anderson's raise to more than $3 million.

Brandon Falcon, head of firefighters' union Local 87, said that the Jackson firefighters' union contract with the city demands that any pay raise for police officers be mirrored in the fire department—adding many more thousands of dollars to the city's cost estimate.

"I think the (police) pay raise you were talking about would require a $3.6 million increase, which would require an 11-mill tax increase, unless we can find some money on a tree somewhere," Allen told Anderson. "We need to hear your whole game plan. … Talk to the mayor, confer with the administration and then come back to us."