Lynn Walton presided over the meeting. Allen Anderson provided the opening prayer and Matt Rumph led us in the Pledge of Allegiance. Lynn led the club in the Four Way Test. The meeting was held at the Holiday Inn in Hattiesburg and via Zoom.
We had two visitors today. Rob Young with the Sunrise Club and Mavis Creagh, a potential new member.
Lynn reminded members to sign up for our Meals on Wheels service project. She also reminded members that our quarterly project this quarter is Wesley Manor. Committee members are working on pricing for the project. It may be necessary to ask the board to increase the budget for this project.
A.D. then introduced today’s guest speaker, Forrest County Sheriff, Charlie Sims. Sheriff Sims has a 40-year career in law enforcement. Before being elected to his current position he was the City of Hattiesburg Chief of Police.
After assuming his duties in the sheriff’s office, he reorganized the department. He created two bureaus, Corrections and Operations. All the office’s responsibilities were merged into one of these two bureaus.
The Adult Detention facility is a part of Corrections. Sims reports that the average population of the Detention facility is about 300 inmates. The facility houses county inmates, along with inmates from the state and the federal governments, who are awaiting trial. The state and federal governments pay the county for their inmates. Contraband continues to be a problem at the facility, however, Sims says the department is about to control it. Everyone entering the facility must now go through a full body scan.
Sims has seen an increase in juvenile crimes in recent years. Some of their crimes are serious. The Juvenile Detention Facility houses an average of 7 to 8 inmates daily. In addition to providing them food and medical care, local schools send teachers in to teach classes. He has also organized a mentorship program for juvenile inmates.
The department also operates an Evaluation Center. Inmates with mental health issues or drug and alcohol abuse issues are housed in this facility. The department has five deputies who patrol the unincorporated areas of the county. Reserve deputies also assist in patrols. They work for no pay. However, Sims pays their way to the academy and furnishes them with the equipment they need for their service. They department answered 19,000 calls last year. Five-hundred-twenty-one of those calls were for felony violations. Sheriff Department officers are paid an average of $42,500 annually. There are currently no vacancies in the department.
There being no further business to come before the club, Lynn thanked Sheriff Sims for his presentation and then adjourned the meeting with our motto: “Service Above Self.”