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City releases Phase 1 racial equity audit, finds workforce gaps at Jackson Police Department
Summary
A CNA audit presented to Jackson City Council identified 29 findings for the police department, citing racial and gender disparities in staffing, missing applicant race data, and recommended standardized data collection, targeted recruitment and strengthened accountability. Council members pressed for better outreach and a Phase 2 timeline.
A team from CNA presented the Phase 1 results of a racial equity audit for the City of Jackson to city council on July 22, outlining 29 findings and tailored recommendations focused primarily on the Jackson Police Department.
"Throughout our report, we made a total of 29 findings," said Dr. Tom Kristoff, the project director and senior research scientist at CNA. He described workforce disparities, noting that Black residents make up about 20.5% of the city's population while they comprise 11.4% of the department, and that female applicants comprised 16.7% of enforcement applicants.
Kristoff told councilors the audit found some positive elements — such as existing policies, systems and community‑engagement efforts — but also identified consistent data gaps, especially missing race data in roughly three‑quarters of applicant records. The auditors urged the city to standardize applicant and promotional data collection, memorialize the recruitment team’s duties and budget, and adopt a DEI strategic plan to anchor training and community engagement.
The CNA team also recommended shifting specialized investigative responsibility to one or two trained individuals and creating a discipline guide to standardize sanctions, along with random reviews of body‑worn camera footage to help ensure respectful, equitable policing.
Council members asked several questions about the method and reach of the audit’s community engagement. One councilor pressed, "How many people were in attendance?" and Kristoff said listening sessions were small — about 8 in one group and up to about 20 in another — and that CNA plans to expand outreach in Phase 2. CNA emphasized that its Phase 1 conclusions are preliminary and that further listening sessions and targeted outreach will inform a fuller Phase 2 report.
City representatives urged council to review and later adopt CNA’s recommendations, allocate budgetary resources for recruitment, training and data improvements, and set oversight and implementation timelines. CNA said a revised Phase 2 timeline will be set once reengagement begins.
The presentation concluded with council members and staff agreeing the next steps include allocating resources, improving community outreach and instituting standardized data collection to enable more complete analysis in future reporting.
