Deputy Hemphill clearly defined for the gathering at the library the challenges facing Sheriff Harold Jones and his staff. As with most all law enforcement agencies today, the Copiah County Sheriff’s Department is underfunded and understaffed. However, that is not to say that the citizens of Copiah County should be concerned that they are not getting adequate protection. The Copiah County Sheriff’s Department with its well-trained, dedicated officers does a superb job of policing the county.

Copiah is a large, basically rural county, yet, for its size, is well patrolled. One of the department’s biggest headaches is drug trafficking, especially that of Meth-amphetamines. Deputy Hemphill is continually urging parents and relatives of youngsters to talk to their kids about the dangers of drugs. He also stressed that parents should keep the lines of communication between themselves and their children open at all times.

Everyone who attended the program left with a better understanding of the Copiah County Sheriff’s Department, what their mission is, and how they carry out that mission. With Chief Deputy Tony Hemphill on the job, there is no doubt that Copiah County will have law enforcement equal to, if not better than, any to be found anywhere in the nation.

I am continually amazed at the stupidity of some of the youngsters today. Not long back some prankster set fire to a roll of toilet paper in the boys’ rest room at Pearl High School. I can’t imagine what was going through that kid’s head when he touched the match to the toilet paper roll. I suppose he was probably chuckling to himself, envisioning the response of the faculty and students, imagining the sounding of alarms, the arrival of the fire trucks and police.

And in a totally separate incident, involving the same school, three students were placed under arrest for plotting to carry out a shooting spree. In today’s climate of terrorism, school shootings, and violence on school busses, and so on, what are kids thinking? Authorities are now taking every little rumor seriously, whether the suggestions of attempting to disrupt a school’s normal routine are real or only pranks.

With the media filled with news of students bringing firearms to school, being caught and jailed or suspended, some continue to do it. If the kid doesn’t read newspapers, listen to the news on radio, or watch it on TV, then the parents should, and they should be keeping track of their children’s activities. Ultimately, parents should be held responsible for their children’s behavior, praised when their kids are well-mannered and courteous, and, if need be, punished when their children commit acts of gross stupidity.

As Chief Deputy Hemphill urged, always maintain an open dialog with your children, teach them to be good citizens and to be aware of and steer clear of the few bad apples that are to be found in every school, and report to the authorities any suspicious activities that might come to their notice, even if it is only a rumor.