LCBS approves Lowndes County sheriff’s request to hire 4 more deputies

LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – In spite of the withdrawal of four Columbus Police officers from the Columbus-Lowndes County Drug Task Force, the county’s drug interdiction efforts will soon be back up to full strength.

At Wednesday’s meeting, the Lowndes County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a request from Sheriff Eddie Hawkins to hire four additional deputies to round out his office’s drug enforcement efforts.

Late last month, Columbus Police Chief Joseph Daughtry withdrew the four CPD officers that made up half of the joint task force. Supervisors followed that by formally announcing the county’s plans to withdraw from the interlocal agreement governing the group.

Last year, the task force investigated 238 felony drug cases. Hawkins would like to build on that success.

The additional deputies come at a cost of about $200,000 a year, but Hawkins said this work requires specialized officers.

“Now, when you talk about narcotics investigations; we’re not responding to a crime that has already been committed and investigating it. We’re actually going out and initiating these cases, having to do surveillance, having to recruit informants to get information on people that are using and selling drugs and buying drugs in Lowndes County. So, it’s a very tough job to be able to do, and it’s expensive to do that. And I understand the significance and importance of it because a lot of our crime is related to drugs,” said Hawkins.

Hawkins hopes to have the new deputies hired by the end of the month.

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