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Byram City council tables ordinance on apartment-complex security for further study
Summary
After extended debate about whether to require unarmed security guards, courtesy officers or camera systems at apartment complexes, the council voted to table the ordinance and send the item to the next work session for legal and operational follow-up.
Byram City Council on Tuesday paused action on a proposed ordinance that would impose new security requirements on apartment complexes, opting to send the measure back for more study after hours of debate over legal authority, resident safety and privacy.
The ordinance under consideration would have required private apartment properties to adopt measures intended to reduce crime during overnight hours; council members and staff disagreed about whether the requirement should mandate unarmed security guards, rely on courtesy officers provided by complexes, or focus on noninvasive measures such as improved lighting and cameras.
City attorney Attorney Milam told the council the office believes an ordinance can withstand constitutional review if the council makes a factual finding tying the requirement to public safety. "We do believe it's legal," Milam said, adding the city has limited Mississippi caselaw and pointing to a New Jersey decision that survived constitutional scrutiny under a rational-basis review. Milam also warned that requiring private operators to turn over camera footage can raise Fourth Amendment concerns and cited an Attorney General opinion from 2023 as part of that analysis.
Byram Police Chief Arrington described the pattern of incidents staff has tracked and urged the council to consider measures tuned to the types of crime occurring on local properties. "The more common is gonna be property crime — potential robbery, auto theft," Chief Arrington said, and he recommended cameras, better lighting and documented patrols as practical deterrents.
Representative Nelson, who addressed the council as a guest, reiterated that municipalities have authority under state law to enact regulations tied to public safety but urged careful drafting to avoid unintended consequences for residents. He said the city should seek input from property managers, police and legal counsel before moving forward.
Opponents and some council members warned that prescribing who a private landlord must hire could shift costs to tenants or raise legal challenges. Several council members favored a narrower approach focused on lighting, cameras and documented patrol logs rather than mandating a particular class of security employee.
After discussion, a motion to table the ordinance and take the issue up at the next work session passed. The council directed staff to refine language, gather input from apartment managers and provide additional data on incident reports, lighting and camera options for the work session.
The council did not vote on the ordinance itself; next steps are formal review and rewording at a future work session.
