Jackson Police Department Chief RaShall Brackney is refusing to answer questions about a memo that directed some officers in the investigative branch to reapply for their positions and if it means robbery-homicide detectives must do the same.
As Brackney walked back to the department’s headquarters after a Jackson City Council meeting on Tuesday, her chief of staff, Tonya Norwood, asked if a Mississippi Today reporter was seeking information for people within the police department.
“Who on the inside are you getting this information for?” Norwood asked. “I want to know who is — see this information must have been sent to you.”
The memo was first reported by WLBT.
Brackney issued the memo on May 27, calling on officers across the department to submit a letter of interest and a resume to be considered for a position within the investigative branch.
The invitation followed up on a pledge she made during her city council confirmation hearing to offer more professional development opportunities to officers.
But for some officers, Brackney’s memo went a step further, directing them to reapply if they wanted to remain in their current positions. The memo specified four units but did not state if those were the only units in the investigative branch required to reapply.
Tonya Norwood, the Jackson Police Department’s chief of staff, is depicted meeting with a security technology company in a photo that the department posted to the department’s official Facebook page on Friday, May 29, 2026. Credit: Jackson Police Department's official Facebook page“Additionally, personnel currently assigned to units with a nexus to federal partnerships and specialized investigative operations, including those serving as: Task Force Officers (TFOs), NIBIN-Ceasefire Personnel, Narcotics Personnel, (and) Intelligence Personnel shall also submit a Letter of Interest and current resume for consideration and alignment with the department’s future operational objectives,” the memo states.
Most JPD officers are assigned to precincts under the patrol division, according to public records. One of four bureaus within the department, the investigative branch has fewer employees but encompasses a wider variety of roles: accident investigations, property crimes and special victims.
But it’s unclear if the memo applies to the department’s robbery-homicide unit, which has long been the subject of community calls for better investigations. Eight officers are assigned to that unit, according to a ledger of JPD employees.
David McElreath, a professor of criminal justice at the University of Mississippi, said it’s common for new police chiefs to overhaul the ranks, especially those who take over a department in which they hadn’t served.
“For a new chief coming in, they don’t even know — with all respect to them — who they can depend on,” he said. “You’re going to hear good things about officers and bad things about officers, and you don’t know which one of those narratives is true.”
McElreath said he could not think of an operational reason why Brackney would refuse to clarify which units the memo applies to.
“I hope the chief is not one of those that sees the press as adversarial and the only thing they want to do is ‘no comment’ or some version of that,” he said.
Mississippi Today repeatedly sought clarification on the memo, but Brackney and her office did not provide it.
Brackney also did not respond to an email seeking more information.
In a text message, JPD Public Information Officer Tommie Brown responded “no” when asked if the memo applied to every unit under the department’s investigative branch. He did not respond to follow up questions.
After a city council meeting on Monday, Brackney told Mississippi Today the memo is “self-explanatory.”
“Read the memo as to, if you’re a speciality unit that has a nexus to the federal government which has to be vetted differently, you have to reapply,” she said. “The federal government has standards.”
Under Brackney, JPD is seeking millions in federal grants, but it’s unclear if the funding will be used to support the robbery-homicide unit.
At Tuesday’s city council meeting, a Mississippi Today reporter sought further clarification. Deputy Chief Sequerna Banks, who oversees the investigative services bureau, initially told Mississippi Today robbery-homicide detectives will not have to reapply.
“No,” she said repeatedly.
A few minutes later, Brown walked away when the reporter explained the chief’s answers were not clear. “Excuse me,” he said.
After the council meeting, a reporter explained to Brackney the memo doesn’t answer the question of whether robbery-homicide officers will have to reapply to keep their jobs. She responded, “It does.”
“If you read the memo, rather than trying to read into the memo…,” she said, but the end of her statement could not be heard as she walked down the back steps of City Hall.
Norwood, who recently came to Jackson after working as a community engagement specialist for the Arizona Department of Public Safety, then turned to face a reporter on the sidewalk and asked, “Who are you asking on behalf of?”
“So, it feels like you’re having trouble understanding the memo,” Norwood said. “Because the memo states straight what has been said and it stands alone. So, I’m feeling like either you’re not understanding how to read the memo or there’s something that you’re not explaining for us.”
The memo encouraged all employees to submit a resume and letter of interest through the chain of command. It stated that materials must be completed “no later than Friday, June 6” – a typo, as Friday is June 5 – and submitted to the chief of police by Tuesday, June 9.
Hence then, the article about jackson police chief refuses to say if homicide officers must reapply for their roles was published today ( ) and is available on Mississippi Today ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Jackson police chief refuses to say if homicide officers must reapply for their roles )
Also on site :