Celebrate National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day
Each January 9, citizens across the country come together to celebrate National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day. The celebration is designed to show support for members of the law enforcement community who have chosen a profession that puts their lives on the line every day.
Crime is at the forefront of conversation in Mississippi, and law enforcement is working diligently with the limited resources they have. Strong support exists for increasing police presence in our communities which, according to research, results in reduced crime. However, understaffed police departments is an issue nationwide. Investing in and properly resourcing police isn’t only an effective way to reduce violent crime, it’s also one of the most efficient.
A comprehensive review of research about reducing violent crime shows that the best path forward for Mississippi is to focus on local solutions. Increasing the number of police officers and justice system capacity is a proven way to reduce violent crime.
In a recent report on violent crime released by Empower Mississippi, solutions to fight violent crime were outlined which include properly funding law enforcement and ensuring that the money is used to attract, pay well, and properly train officers, so that there will be a sufficient number of them to implement community-based policing approaches that have been shown to build trust and deter crime.
Our law enforcement officers have a dangerous job to do and we say, “thank you” for the work they do every day — often with limited resources — to “Protect the ‘Sip”.
