Mississippi Retailers Protest Security Mandate

Increase in crime leads to city of Jackson proposal requiring c-stores to hire private security.

October 28, 2014

JACKSON, Miss. – A Jackson city councilwoman who is proposing an ordinance requiring security guards at convenience stores got an earful last week as store owners and employees testified to the hardship of the ordinance.

About 35 people attended a meeting at City Hall called by Ward 3 Councilwoman LaRita Cooper-Stokes. While the store owners who attended the meeting agree that more needs to be done to ensure the security of their employees and customers, they do not agree with Cooper-Stokes’ proposal requiring the hiring of private security guards, which they described as cost-prohibitive. 

Local news station WAPT quoted one store owner as saying, “They're missing the point. We have already security guards. The police department is the security guard."

Store owners, who plan to start a petition opposing the ordinance, said they would only agree to support it if the city would pay for the security guards. Some of the retailers present also suggested tax cuts for store owners to help offset the cost of the security, or reworking the ordinance to only require guards at night.

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