Picayune Police Department reports sharp decrease in crime while saving city over $1 million

PICAYUNE, Miss. (WXXV) — After four complete years under police chief Joe Quave, the Picayune Police Department has seen drastic changes in both crime and costs to citizens.

“It was important to me to be able to track what we’re spending money on, what our needs were, what the wants were, where we were headed as a department,” Quave explained. “What budget did we have? How could we use that efficiently? Because at the end of the day, it’s not our money. It’s taxpayer money.”

Since 2022, the department has saved the city and its taxpayers over $1 million by reducing hiring and training expenses, selling unused equipment and auctioning items seized by the department. Additionally, nearly $200 thousand has been reimbursed through the DUI Grant, the Occupations Protection Grant, and the COPS Grant.

However, the financial impact has been twofold. Picayune PD has had the resources to consistently put officers on the streets, which has led to a crack down on traffic violations and other minor infractions.

“I believe it was over 1,600 more traffic stops that were made in ’25 versus ’24,” Quave said. “That’s that many more blue lights or that many more cars that are out there, and that’s visibility.”

The consistent presence and enforcement, in turn, has helped decrease crime significantly overall. In 2022, there were 83 violent crimes committed in the city. That dropped 53% to just 39 offenses in 2025. Similarly, there’s been a 47% decrease in property crime in that time frame.

“It’s been proven time and time again: with the more police presence there is, the likelihood that violent crime and other things will go down,” Quave explained.