Officer Pat Williams of Precinct 4 of the Jackson Police Department was honored by the Rotary Club of North Jackson at the club’s December 10, 2019 meeting for his actions apprehending a shooting suspect in July 2019. He was able to identify the alleged shooter from two suspects using high tech analytical tools. We congratulate Officer Williams on his ingenuity applying these tools to make the identification.

Officer Williams (center) is shown below with Club President Greg Campbell (left) and Officer of the Quarter Recognition Chair Steve Orlansky (right). We congratulate Officer Williams on being selected as Officer of the Quarter and we thank him for his service to the citizens of Jackson.

Allen Godfrey, Executive Director of the Mississippi Gaming Commission spoke to the Rotary Club of North Jackson at the club’s December 10, 2019, meeting. The primary subject of his presentation was Sports betting in Mississippi although he covered the history and success of gaming in Mississippi. Gaming was authorized by the Mississippi legislature in 1990 with the first casinos (dockside) opening in August 1992. Currently, there are 35 casinos in the state with all but three of them supervised by the Mississippi Gaming Commission. Those three are tribal casinos that are supervised by the National Indian Gaming Commission.

Beginning in August 2018, Mississippi casinos were authorized to offer sports betting books by a U.S. Supreme Court decision. The first sports betting books in Mississippi casinos were opened in August 2018. Mr. Godfrey commented that Mississippi was fortunate in that the legislature passed legislation prior to 2018 that provided for management of sports betting if it ever became legal. This permitted a rapid start-up of the business following the Supreme Court decision

The Mississippi casino industry is a $2.2 billion industry that generates approximately $250 million in tax revenues for the State. In October 2019, legal sports wagering amounted to $5.4 million, which generated $986 thousand in taxable revenues for the casinos.

We thank Mr. Godfrey for his long term service to the citizens of the State of Mississippi, especially for his service to the Gaming Commission. He is shown in the following photo with Rotarian Jeff Adcock who introduced him.

Jo Usry, CEO of the Central Mississippi Association of Realtors (CMR) spoke to the Rotary Club of North Jackson at the Club’s November 26, 2019 meeting. She discussed her career, the association and the role of Realtors in real estate transactions. Usry started her career in Library Science before migrating to realty, which fit her better. She was an active realtor before becoming an executive with the realty association. According to its website, the “Central Mississippi REALTORS®, Inc. is the parent company of Central Mississippi MLS, Inc. and the largest real estate association in the State of Mississippi. Chartered in 1924, CMR represents over 1,900 REALTOR® members and is one of more than 1,200 local boards and 54 state and territory organizations of REALTORS® nationwide. Central Mississippi REALTORS® represents “The Voice for Real Estate” in ten counties of Central Mississippi including Hinds, Madison, Rankin, Yazoo, Holmes, Attala, Leake, Scott, Simpson, and Copiah.”

Usry said that the role of the realtor is to represent their client, whether the buyer or the seller and to assure that the client is satisfied. They are involved from listing to closing. She also discussed the role of Home Inspectors who are licensed by the Mississippi Home Inspection Regulatory Board which is part of the Mississippi Real Estate Commission and governed by that Board’s Standards of Practice.

We thank Ms. Usry for her presentation and for her service to Mississippi. She is shown in the following photo with Rotarians Bob Ridgway (left) who introduced her and Jay Cooke who has closed many of her real estate transactions. 

Ms. Sandy Middleton, Executive Director of the Mississippi Center for Violence Prevention spoke to the Rotary Club of North Jackson at the club’s November 19, 2019 meeting. Ms. Middleton discussed the purpose and activities of the Center. The mission of the organization is:
 

“Through our partnership with multiple community organizations and a committed staff focused on the needs of the victim of interpersonal violence, The Center for Violence Prevention advocates that every person has the right to a life free from violence.”

We provide services for Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Forensic Assistance in Claiborne, Copiah, Hinds, Issaquena, Madison, Rankin, Sharkey, Simpson, Warren and Yazoo Counties. The center offers the only Human Trafficking Shelter in the state of Mississippi.”

Through The “Bridge”,  which is a community forensic clinic with 24/7 emergency care for patients who have been a victim of sexual assault/rape or strangulation,  the center provides a safe and comfortable setting with trauma-informed care from an in-house Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner. A soft interview room is available for law enforcement partners. 

Through  “The Tower”, the Center provides Specialized services for victims of human trafficking. The tower provides voluntary services to identified victims of trafficking through its multidisciplinary professionals and community partners to achieve safety, recovery, and restoration. Participation in the program is voluntary and requires consent, active participation, and adherence to the established guidelines for the safety and well-being of all customers and staff. Ms. Middleton showed a brief video entitled “Mississippians Against Human Trafficking” that discussed human trafficking, how young women are entrapped in prostitution and what is being done to reduce it.

We thank Ms. Middleton for her presentation and for her work on behalf of the citizens of Mississippi. She is shown in the following photo with Club President Greg Campbell (left) and Club Member Nick Miller who is a member of the Board of Directors for the Center for Prevention of Violence.