| Agency Name: | Department of Public Safety |
| Type: | department |
| Headquarters: | 1900 E Woodrow Wilson Ave Jackson, Mississippi |
| Employees: | Approx. 1 400 (2021)[1] |
| Budget: | Approx. $147 000 000[2] |
| Chief1 Name: | Sean Tindell |
| Chief1 Position: | Commissioner |
The Mississippi Department of Public Safety is an administrative department of the Government of Mississippi, headquartered in Jackson. It is responsible for the state Highway Patrol and commercial vehicle enforcement; specialized investigations and controlled drugs and substances enforcement; issuing driver's licenses and firearms permits; and the state Capitol Police.[3]
The position of "Commissioner of Public Safety" was first created in 1938, with the establishment of the Mississippi Highway Safety Patrol.[4]
The Department expanded in the early 1970s, when the Bureau of Narcotics was established in 1971 to conduct specialized enforcement and carry out investigations into the abuse, trafficking, manufacturing, and mishandling of controlled substances.[5] Initially under the control of the State Board of Health, the Bureau of Narcotics was transferred over to the control of the Department of Public Safety in 1972.[6]
In 2021, the Department expanded again, absorbing the Department of Transportation's enforcement division, which became the DPS' Commercial Transportation Enforcement Division and the Department of Finance and Administration's Capitol Police Office. The expansion also adjusted the duties of some DPS divisions: the Bureau of Investigation became responsible for investigating all police-involved shootings (excluding those involving a member of the Highway Safety Patrol); members of the Highway Safety Patrol became responsible for conducting speed enforcement operations and running radar on interstate highways within large cities; and the Office of Capitol Police's patrol area grew to include not just state government buildings but an 8.7 square mile swath of land including downtown Jackson, Jackson State University, the University of Mississippi Medical Center, and residential and commercial neighbourhoods including a portion of Fondren, a "trendy enclave with a popular restaurant scene."[7] Within this expanded patrol area, the Capitol Police acted as a force multiplier for the municipal Jackson Police Department, which had experienced prolonged staffing shortages.
The Mississippi Highway Patrol, formally called the Highway Safety Patrol, is led by a director at the rank of colonel. The director also serves as assistant commissioner of the Department of Public Safety. The Highway Patrol is responsible for general policing on highways across the state, investigating major incidents through its Bureau of Investigations,[8] issuing driver's licenses and firearms permits through its Driver Service Bureau,[9] and some commercial vehicle enforcement.[10]
The Bureau of Investigations is led by a Lieutenant Colonel of the Highway Safety Patrol, and its membership is composed of officers seconded from the Patrol. The Bureau is responsible for assisting local agencies in conducting complex investigations, maintaining the state Criminal Information Centre, investigating cases of human trafficking, inspecting salvage vehicles, operating the state's Victim Assistance Program, and providing executive protection to the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Speaker of the House. Since 2021, the Bureau has also been responsible for investigating police shootings in the state, with the exception of shootings involving members of the Highway Safety Patrol.[11]
The Bureau of Narcotics is an independent DPS agency responsible for enforcing regulations and legislation concerning the "abuse, misuse, sale, and trafficking of controlled substances." The Bureau is led by a director at the rank of colonel, appointed by the Commissioner of Public Safety.
The Office of Capitol Police is an independent DPS agency responsible for policing the Capitol Complex Improvement District, an 8.7 square mile area in Jackson; securing the Bolton state government buildings in Biloxi; and securing the State Service Centre in Hattiesburg.[12]