Bryant: State law enforcement to carry service weapons off duty

Gov. Phil Bryant is urging law enforcement officers in the state to carry their weapons with them at all times.

In a letter written Wednesday to Department of Public Safety Commissioner Albert Santa Cruz, Bryant asked for a policy to be implemented encouraging all sworn law enforcement officers in the Department of Public Safety to carry their service weapons even while off duty.

"Ensuring the safety of Mississippians is a chief concern, and this responsibility is heightened in the wake of tragedies that have occurred throughout the nation, Bryant wrote. "This policy will allow highly trained, sworn law enforcement officers under the jurisdiction of the DPS the ability to respond should a threat to public safety arise in a Mississippi community."

Bryant went on to say that he has confidence in the firearms training offered to the officers and agents of the DPS, and believes they have extensive experience in how to safely carry and operate their service weapons.

"We reached out to the Department of Public Safety because that's an executive agency, so that's where we started," said Nicole Webb, spokeswoman for Bryant's office. "He wanted to make sure that any sworn officer under the DPS knew that carrying their weapon is accepted and encouraged."

Webb said the Governor's office will be checking with other state agencies as well to see what their policies are, and that the letter to DPS was simply a starting point.

DPS spokesman Warren Strain said the letter doesn't give DPS agents and officers new rights as much as reinforces the ones they have.

"As law enforcement officers, they have the authority to carry their weapons regardless," Strain said.

He added that if a sign is posted on private property and an off duty officer enters that area with a weapon, the owner can ask them to leave, "and they are trained and expected to leave." Under law, they wouldn't be charged with a firearms violation, but could be charged with trespassing.

Authorities stressed that the world seems to be becoming a more violent place, and that it's good for the public to know that those who protect and serve are doing so whether on or off the clock.

"The mission of the DPS is public safety, and that's what these officers are trained to do," Strain said. "Even if they're off duty, they're always subject to call."

The policy does require that off-duty officers carry proper credentials.

Contact Therese Apel at tapel@gannett.com.