Homicides drop by double digits for second year straight in Jackson, but rate of killings still ranks highest in nation
Analysis shows Capital City’s homicide rate outpaces every other major city in the U.S. for third year in a row
JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - The year 2023 ends with statistics that almost seem to contradict each other: killings in Jackson have dropped by double digits for two years straight, but the city still tops every other major city in the nation when it comes to the rate of killings per capita.
The Capital City saw 118 killings last year, most of which were handled by JPD (109).
Capitol Police investigated eight homicides, and Jackson State’s police department handled one killing.
The total represents a nearly 15 percent drop over the previous year; in 2022, homicides dropped by 13.7 percent.
| Ranking | City | Number of homicides | Homicide rate | Percent change vs. last year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jackson | 118 | 78.79 | -14.49% |
| 2 | Birmingham | 126 | 63.77 | -6.67% |
| 3 | Memphis | 397 | 63.20 | +31.89% |
| 4 | Louisville, KY | 150 | 60.94 | -8.54% |
| 5 | St. Louis | 158 | 53.87 | -21% |
| 6 | New Orleans | 193 | 51.20 | -27.44% |
| 7 | Baltimore | 259 | 44.93 | -23.15% |
| 8 | Cleveland | 154 | 41.85 | -0.65% |
| 9 | Shreveport, LA | 74 | 40.21 | +64.44% |
| 10 | Detroit | 252 | 39.84 | -18.18% |
JPD Chief Joseph Wade isn’t satisfied.
“That shows progress, but it’s nothing that I’m proud of because that signifies that we had 109 people that lost their life here in the city of Jackson. That’s never going to be acceptable,” Wade said.
Chief Wade wants to reduce killings in Jackson by more than half this year.
To do that, he says it requires a strategic approach, targeting hotspots for criminal activity like apartment complexes or gas stations.
“Our data has shown us that these convenience stores, gas stations are hubs for violence in our community,” Wade said. “What I’ve done, we’ve formed a unit, a specialized unit that is specially trained to deal with these areas that we have designated as trouble hotspots in our city.”
Of the 109 homicides JPD worked last year, data from JPD shows detectives have solved nearly two-thirds, a rate higher than the national clearance rate.
That can only be accomplished through extra manpower, Wade said.
“It was unimaginable to have 135 homicides the previous year and only have detectives in the single digits working. That’s unheard of. Somebody has to work those cases. Somebody has to bring closure or resolution to their family,” Wade said. “If you don’t have the manpower to do it, you’re doing a serious injustice to that family, to the city of Jackson, and to the police department.”
Wade says they’ve hired 40 more JPD officers in just the last six months, many of them having worked for the department before.
Some of those are now detectives.
It’s unclear whether the city has seen any other drops in other major crimes because the city doesn’t proactively release that information to residents.
JPD’s own website hasn’t updated its crime statistics in more than three years.
Author’s note: A previous article indicated Memphis had 341 homicides at year’s end. Press reports indicate that number is actually 397, meaning Memphis ranks third-deadliest in the nation, not fourth as previously stated.
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