Mississippi
Why the police chief from Mississippi’s capital city visited Mobile
The newly appointed police chief and two of top deputies of Mississippi’s largest city visited Mobile on Thursday to examine how Alabama’s Port city is addressing intelligence level policing and community engagement, among other things.
Joseph Wade, police chief in Jackson, Miss., said his agency is looking for “new and innovative ways” to fight crime at a time when the state’s capitol city is battling a high murder rate, and as Mississippi officials face criticism for expanding a state-run police department within the overwhelmingly majority Black city of 146,000 residents.
Wade praised Mobile police for what he said were new approaches at policing, and cited the Alabama agency as one in which his staff could “benefit from visiting.”
“We looked at several different departments and visited the local agencies in Mississippi we felt we could benefit from,” said Wade, a 28-year veteran of the Jackson Police Department who was officially named its police chief last month. I wanted to reach out to an agency comparable with the Jackson Police Department and we targeted Mobile as somewhere we felt that we could benefit from visiting.”
Said Tyrone Buckley, deputy chief with the Jackson agency, about Mobile, “you have a city that is getting it right. We saw some positive things in this city and are looking to see if we can get some information to help us with some of the things we are going through in our city.”
Recruitment, retention
The visit from the Jackson officials comes at a time when Mobile and Jackson continue to struggle in finding enough police recruits to fill opened positions. The two chiefs said that recruitment and officer retention was also a subject they were discussing during their meeting.
Jackson appears to be struggling more than Mobile. Wade said his city was originally budgeted for 304 officers, but the number dropped to 274, after Wade said his officers were granted a pay raise. The agency currently has 238 officers.
Mobile is budgeted for 488 officers. It currently has 425, and Prine said it’s typical for the agency to be “down 50 to 55 officers.”
“Two years ago, we were averaging 70 officers down on the Police Department,” he said. “Slowly, (efforts) on recruitment and retention are working. We have a lot more work to do. It’s becoming more problematic to find those highly qualified individuals to be in law enforcement today in this political climate.”
Homicides
The visit from Jackson officials also comes as Mobile is experiencing an improvement in violent crime and homicide statistics over the past two years. The improvement comes as Mobile’s population grew by adding 19,789 residents through a July annexation, to a new population of 204,689.
The agency, which saw a spike in violent crime in 2021, was “30 percent down” in the number of homicides so far in 2023, according to Police Chief Paul Prine. So far this year, there have been 23 homicides in Mobile.
Prine said the drop is stark compared to 2021, when there were 51 homicides for the entire year.
“You can see the strategic plan the Mobile Police Department is certainly working,” Prine said.
Related content: Mobile, Birmingham police chiefs blast study showing cities most violent in nation
Comparably, Jackson has 93 homicides during 2023, Wade said.
“We got to work on some type of changing the mindset of the culture of the city and take a strategic approach on addressing crime in the city,” Wade said. “We are looking at a strategic approach in dealing with (gun violence) and collaborative efforts with local, county, state and federal levels. We are looking to see what we can gather (in Mobile) and bring back to Jackson to get our crime situation under control.”
Capitol Police
Officers from the state-run Capitol Police and the city-run Jackson Police Department stand watch outside a Jackson, Miss., church where a community meeting was held to addresses youth crime issues Feb. 14, 2023. At the meeting, the audience also heard about the role of both police departments in Mississippi’s majority-Black capital city. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)AP
Policing strategies in Mississippi have come under fire this year, creating a rift between the Capitol City that is over 80% Black, and the majority-white Republican-controlled Mississippi state House and Senate.
Jackson is governed by Democrats and has the largest percentage of Black residents of any major U.S. city. Mobile’s demographics, even after annexation, remains majority Black. It was 52% Black, 42% white before the July vote.
The biggest concern in Jackson, according to media reports, appears to be the addition and jurisdictional expansion of the Capitol Police, a state-run policing agency. Republican Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves signed legislation in April to expand the agency’s boundaries, urging that Jackson “has to be better.”
The move prompted the NAACP to file a lawsuit arguing that state officials violated the principle of self-government by removing policing and some of the courts of out the hands of residents.
Neither Mobile nor any other city in Alabama is faced with a similar situation.
“I’m more of the mindset that we have to have collaborative efforts,” Wade said. “They are policing in my backyard. We have to share information and have dialogues on how we work together. The criminal element does not have about jurisdictional boundaries.”
He added, “When we are feuding in law enforcement, the criminal element is allowed to prosper. We will work collectively as we move forward with the Capitol Police in Jackson.”
Mississippi
Arizona State RB Cam Skattebo ‘disrespected’ by Mississippi State football’s defensive game plan
Cam Skattebo slammed Mississippi State on the football field on Saturday night and also took another jab afterward in his postgame press conference.
The Arizona State running back, following a 30-23 Sun Devils win at Mountain America Stadium, took exception to MSU only utilizing three defenders on the line of scrimmage. The results were damning.
Arizona State (2-0) rushed for 346 yards. It was the most allowed by Mississippi State (1-1) in a game since Arkansas in 2016. Skattebo’s 262 rushing yards on 33 carries were the second-most in ASU history.
“They couldn’t stop us in that three-down front,” Skattebo said when asked what made ASU’s run game successful. “Honestly, we all felt disrespected with them in a three-down front. You can’t come in here and put five guys in the box and expect to stop six. I don’t know. We took that a little disrespectful, and we rushed for what over 300 yards? Something around there. It is what it is.”
Skattebo, a 5-foot-11, 215-pound junior, also led Arizona State with 35 receiving yards on three catches.
“I knew these dudes were big and heavy,” he said. “We knew going into the game they weren’t as physical as most other teams but they’re heavy. So when they hit you, it hurts, no matter how hard they’re coming — 300 pounds at 10 miles per hour or 16 miles per hour hurts the same. I just kept my feet moving.”
Mississippi State trailed 30-3 in the third quarter but scored 20 unanswered points to cut the score to 30-23 with 5:27 to play. The Bulldogs never touched the ball again, with the Sun Devils running out the clock on 12 plays.
Skattebo had a game-sealing 39-yard rush that allowed ASU to kneel down.
“Until the end, we had our ups and downs there, but that was fun,” he said. “You can ask these guys up front, bullying dudes, grown men that are 300 pounds, that’s fun to us. That’s fun to the front-five, the front-seven and the running back. The quarterback probably hates it. He probably likes watching, but he didn’t complain one time the whole game.”
Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@gannett.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.
Mississippi
Why Mississippi State football loss to Arizona State revealed a strong Jeff Lebby culture
It was 11:10 p.m. Saturday in Starkville when Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt barreled into the end zone for his second touchdown of the game.
At that point, it would’ve been fair for Mississippi State football fans to call it a night. The Bulldogs (1-1) trailed 27-3 at ASU in the final minute of the second quarter. They were dominated in just about every statistical category. New coach Jeff Lebby looked like he was headed toward his first loss, and an embarrassing one.
And even if you gave the second half a chance, eyes just a crack open, that wasn’t encouraging either. Arizona State (2-0) took the opening drive of the third quarter for a field goal while eating 8 minutes, 27 seconds of game time. That just about decided the game before Mississippi State touched the ball in the second half.
Wrong.
Instead, MSU scored touchdowns on three of its next four drives and cut the score to 30-23 with 5:27 to play. The defense, which was torched for 346 rushing yards, needed one more stop to let the offense try to tie it. It would’ve been the largest comeback in program history.
Mississippi State’s path to a bowl game seems murkier than it was a week ago. But in the long-term, there’s still encouragement after the 30-23 loss.
“Our guys battled in an incredible way in the second half, and we’re going to hold on to that,” Lebby said in his postgame radio interview. “We’re going to find ways to get back in the building, get back to work and be able to walk into Davis Wade (Stadium) with a ton of confidence and ready to go win a football game.”
The encouragement from Mississippi State’s comeback effort
Lebby said after beating Eastern Kentucky 56-7 in Week 1 that there is an abundance of teachable moments in wins, just like losses.
There is plenty to point to after losing to Arizona State.
Mississippi State came out incredibly flat. The Sun Devils scored on their first five possessions. The MSU offense had one field goal, two punts, a fumble returned for a touchdown and a turnover-on-downs in the first half. MSU had -13 rushing yards in the first half.
There were concerns entering the game about the travel distance, late kickoff and high temperature. But let’s be real, Mississippi State was playing so poorly at the start that it was hard to judge if those were factors.
“I got to do a better job getting these guys ready to go play out of the gate,” Lebby said. “I thought our energy, our effort and our emotion was really good, but then we did not play clean there in the first quarter, so that part was frustrating.”
The Bulldogs outscored the Sun Devils 20-0 in the final quarter and a half. It was a surprise. Arizona State was rolling. Mississippi State was not.
MORE: Introducing Sam Sklar, the Clarion Ledger’s new Mississippi State beat reporter
For Lebby, a first-time head coach at any level, let it be a learning moment for him. It was his first time getting pinned in a corner. The Bulldogs adjusted correctly in the second half like good coaches do.
The rushing offense and defense both need to improve. Badly. Quarterback Blake Shapen has been impressive in his first two Mississippi State games and the wide receiver room is deep and talented as ever, but they can’t be the only answer.
That’s just for this season.
Mississippi State has its first tally in the loss column. But it isn’t a strike against Lebby leading the future of the program.
Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@gannett.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.
Sam Leavitt leads ASU to convincing victory in 1st career start
Leavitt and the Sun Devils cruised past visiting Wyoming 48-7 on Saturday night at Mountain America Stadium.
The Arizona State football team elevated its play on the field in its 48-7 win over Wyoming in Week 1.
It is elevating its uniform game for Week 2 against Mississippi State.
ASU football is wearing a gold alternate jersey against the Bulldogs at Mountain America Stadium in Tempe on Saturday night.
The jersey includes maroon “Arizona State” lettering and maroon numbering, along with a noticeable Big 12 logo.
The Sun Devil football team unveiled the uniform last month, with Athletic Director Graham Rossini posting that “you’ll see this on the field early this season.”
On Thursday, ASU football announced that it would be wearing the uniform against Mississippi State with a video that said “Modern shine, with a classic design.”
On Friday, it posted another look at the uniform.
More: Arizona State vs Mississippi State live score updates, analysis for college football game
ASU vs Mississippi State schedule, TV: How to watch college football game
Promising look: Arizona State football’s 2024 win prediction doubles after Week 1 victory over Wyoming
Social media reacted favorably overall to ASU football’s uniform vs Mississippi State:
Do you like the look for ASU football?
ASU vs. Mississippi State picks: Who wins Week 2 college football game?
Looking promising: Arizona State football makes huge leap in college football ranking, Big 12 power rankings
Reach Jeremy Cluff at jeremy.cluff@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.
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