Law enforcement training will benefit from proximity to Southern Miss in Hattiesburg

HATTIESBURG – The Southern Regional Public Safety Institute (SRPSI), a partnership between the University of Southern Mississippi and the Harrison County Sheriff’s Department that provides community-oriented police training and education, will move its operations to Camp Shelby, located south of Hattiesburg.

The SRPSI was previously housed at the Southern Miss Gulf Park campus in Long Beach but was forced to leave that site after its offices were heavily damaged by Hurricane Katrina last August. The institute will take over the facilities previously used by the Police Corps, a federally funded law enforcement training program administered by Southern Miss that concludes its operations this month when its last class graduates.

“Having it (SRPSI) near our Hattiesburg campus gives it more access to faculty that serve law enforcement, such as criminal justice, sociology, psychology and forensic science,” said Dr. Julian Allen, Southern Miss associate vice president for Research and Economic Development. “We can provide the academy trainees with a rich pool of classroom instructors.” 

Camp Shelby is the largest state-owned military training site in the nation, established during World War I. Locating the institute at Camp Shelby means access to a variety of facilities and equipment conducive to law enforcement training, including a ropes course, a physical fitness facility and outdoor track as well as the resources used for the Police Corps program. “The accommodations are quality,” Allen said. “We’re in better shape now as far as facilities and equipment.”

The SRPSI is certified and accredited by the Mississippi Board on Law Enforcement and Officers Standards and Training. Since 1987, it is has graduated more than 2,400 basic law enforcement cadets and more than 5,000 veteran officers in advanced and specialized disciplines. Recognized as the state’s leader in community-oriented policing training and education, the institute primarily serves south Mississippi because of its location. However, agencies across the state have sent students to the SRPSI. “Graduates of the institute are a hot commodity,” Allen said.

The next class of the SRPSI is scheduled to begin in mid-May.

Lt. Col. Vann Jones, deputy commander of Camp Shelby, said, “We’re in a position to support the institute with our facilities, and it’s a good way for us to provide an important service to the community.”