CNA audit finds racial, gender gaps in Jackson Police Department; recommends data, recruitment and accountability changes

A CNA team presented the results of a racial equity audit of city operations, with a primary focus on the Jackson Police Department (JPD), at the Jackson City Council meeting on July 22.

The audit found that JPD’s workforce demographics differ notably from the city’s population: Black residents account for 20.5% of the city but 11.4% of the department, and women are underrepresented among applicants and in the force. CNA documented 29 findings with tailored recommendations for JPD and recommended expanding the review to other departments in a Phase 2.

CNA’s project director, Dr. Tom Kristoff, said the team’s Phase 1 work included a site visit in October 2024, surveys of city employees (a 69% response rate across departments), two in-person listening sessions and 10 community interviews. “Throughout our report, we made a total of 29 findings, each with an associated recommendation tailored to the JPD,” Kristoff said. He told council the report examined recruitment, promotions, accountability, training and administrative data such as arrests and traffic stops.

Why it matters: the audit links personnel and operational practices to community trust and public safety. The report’s recommendations are framed as operational changes the city can take to reduce disparities and improve oversight.

Key findings and recommendations

- Workforce disparities: CNA reported that Black residents and women are underrepresented in JPD compared with city demographics. Kristoff noted the department’s demographics are not unique among similarly sized agencies but that “they should not become complacent.”

- Recruitment and applicant data: CNA found the recently formed recruitment team has professionalized outreach compared with prior ad hoc efforts, but the team’s work should be memorialized in policy with a dedicated budget and strategic plan. The report found women made up 16.7% of enforcement-position applicants and recommended focused female recruitment efforts. Kristoff said race data for applicants was missing in nearly three-quarters of cases, limiting analysis; CNA recommended standardized applicant data collection.

- Promotions and small sample size: CNA reviewed promotions from 2020–2024 and found higher promotion rates for women and Black applicants in that set, but flagged that only 14 promotions occurred during the period, so statistical conclusions were limited. The auditors recommended a clear promotions policy and clearer use of performance evaluations in promotion decisions.

- Accountability and discipline: CNA recommended concentrating investigatory responsibility with one or two specially trained investigators rather than leaving it to all supervisors, and creating a discipline guide that standardizes sanctions by degree of misconduct. The audit urged more transparency and collaboration with the Community Police Oversight Commission.

- Body-worn camera reviews: auditors recommended random supervisory reviews of body-worn camera footage to assess officer engagement with community members.

- Training and documentation: auditors said JPD has several department-initiated trainings but recommended systematic needs assessments and an annual training plan tailored to Jackson’s specific historical and cultural context. CNA also recommended a DEI strategic plan and that community engagement activities be memorialized in policy to allow measurement.

Community engagement and data limits

CNA described the listening sessions and interviews as preliminary and said turnout was small. Kristoff said the first listening session had about eight attendees and the second “may have gotten to about 20,” and that those small numbers were one reason CNA will expand outreach in Phase 2. He said the Phase 1 survey results provided useful employee data but that more community outreach and improved administrative data are necessary to draw firmer conclusions. “Because we recognize that additional outreach is necessary before any firm findings,” Kristoff said, CNA will schedule more listening sessions.

Council questions and staff responses

Council members asked about listening-session turnout, outreach methods, whether language access was provided and the timeline for Phase 2. Kristoff said outreach had used local newspaper, radio, Facebook and printed flyers but that the team did not have specific language-assistance measures in place for the listening sessions; he acknowledged that as a gap. On the Phase 2 timeline he said the original plan targeted completion by the end of the year but that delays since February mean the team needs to set a new schedule when work resumes.

Jackson Police Chief Simpson responded to a council question about whether recruitment events are being measured for yield, saying the recruitment effort is recent and it is too early to quantify results, though an individual hired recently was connected to recruiting efforts by an outside organization.

Next steps

The Racial Equity Commission and CNA asked council to review and approve the recommendations, to allocate resources for recruitment, training and data improvements, and to establish implementation timelines with regular progress reporting. CNA will expand Phase 2 outreach to other city departments and continue community engagement to fill identified data gaps.

Ending: The presentation closed with council members asking for additional outreach details and a Phase 2 timeline; no formal council action to adopt the audit recommendations was recorded at the July 22 meeting.