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Police report: assistant chief’s cases produce what department called a “70% success rate” at recent grand jury
Summary
Police leaders told the Quitman Board that Assistant Chief Laws has presented recent cases to a Dec. 15 grand jury; officials said 7 of 10 charges in five cases returned true bills. The board credited investigative staff and discussed staffing needs and training resources.
The Quitman Board of Aldermen heard a police department update noting an increase in grand jury filings after Assistant Chief Laws joined the department in August. Officials said five cases presented Dec. 15 included 10 charges, seven of which produced true bills, which the speaker described as a "70% success rate."
The chief credited Captain Hair and other investigators for assembling prosecutable case files and said the next grand jury is scheduled for April, when seven additional cases are expected to be presented. The board discussed the role of improved staffing and departmental cooperation in producing more charges that meet prosecutorial standards; no new policy changes were adopted at the meeting. "A 70% success rate" was cited by the chief as evidence the department's case-preparation has improved, and the board offered public praise for the work.
The board also approved standard personnel and training items for the department later in the meeting, including authorization to add two active part-time officers for investigative and training work and approval to advertise for a full-time day-shift officer to restore routine patrol coverage.
