Sheriff’s Department to upgrade deputies firearms

Neshoba County Sheriff Eric Clark informed the Board of Supervisors on Monday that the department will soon upgrade at no cost to the county its handguns to improve officers’ ability to transition in low-light conditions.

Clark told the board that the department would continue using Glock 45 9mm handguns, similar to their current models, but the new firearms would be equipped with COA Aimpoint optics.

“We saw firsthand how efficient the optic-ready firearms were last spring,” Clark said. “We had a firearms challenge with the Philadelphia Police Department at the local shooting range—it didn’t take long to see the accuracy and efficiency of the new combos.”

Clark said that deputies recently attended a training session at the academy in Pearl, where they test-fired the new Glock COA handguns. He said they are confident this will be their choice moving forward.

The department last upgraded its firearms in 2021, but optics were unavailable then. Clark said that the market soon saw a surge in optic-ready handguns.

The new Glock 45 9 mm guns with the COA attachments will cost about $12,975 for 25 firearms. The department will fund the purchase using funds raised through the Deputy Sheriff’s Association’s fall fundraiser.

“My hope is that this change will make it better on my officers,” Clark said. “Since I’ve been elected as Sheriff, we have had two officers involved in shootings in Neshoba County—one involved multiple officers. It can happen to any officer that goes in service at any given time.”

Clark said that there were 33 officer-involved shootings in Mississippi last year, 32 in 2023, and 36 in 2022. He hopes that acquiring these upgraded handguns will provide officers with a crucial advantage in potential deadly force encounters.

In other business, supervisors voted to:

• Approve paying a pre-trial disbursement of $500 to the District Attorney’s Office for the State vs. Shanna Renfro case;

• Approve hiring Kaylee Lovorn Thames as a part-time administrative assistant with the Sheriff’s Department effective Feb. 6 at $15 an hour;

• Approve hiring Christina Ladd as a full-time correctional officer at the county jail effective Jan. 27 at $14 an hour;

• Approve a road crossing permit request from the Central Water Association at 10100 Road 2224;

• Approve a fully executed memorandum of agreement with MDOT for the Emergency Road and Bridge Repair Project;

• Approve canceling the State Aid project (SAP-50 (102)) with County Engineer Marty Crowder to be replaced by the Emergency Road and Bridge Repair Project;

• Approve a revised program with County Engineer Marty Crowder for the State Aid reseal project;

• Approve a Neshoba County school bus turnaround at 10320 Road 511 for Joe Breland;

• Approve two travel requests for Emergency Management Director Josh Burt and Deputy Emergency Management Director Darell Wilson to attend the District 6 Integrated Preparedness Planning Workshop in Newton County on Feb. 12 and to attend the 2025 Mississippi Partners in Preparedness Conference in Biloxi from May 20-23 with a registration fee of $200 each;

• Approve the disposal of three ambulances on the GovDeals website;

• Approve entering into a contract with Davis-Purdy Architects for future services on the Burnside Park Improvement Project;

• Approve a membership renewal with the Community Development Partnership for 2024-2025 for $700;

• Approve recognizing Monday, Feb. 17, as President’s Day/George Washington’s Birthday.