Sunflower County Sheriff James Haywood and District 2 Supervisor Riley Rice say a $100,000 federal allocation for law enforcement “couldn’t have come at a better time” as the sheriff’s department faces pressing needs for vehicles and other upgrades.
U.S. Rep. Bennie G. Thompson, D-Miss., on Tuesday presented ceremonial checks totaling $1 million to 10 sheriff’s departments across Mississippi’s 2nd Congressional District during a press conference at Asbury United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall in Bolton. The funding is part of the 2025-26 Community Project Special Appropriations, a community project funding initiative Thompson secured for local law enforcement agencies.
The Sunflower County Sheriff’s Department will receive $100,000 designated for law enforcement support, according to a large presentation check Thompson displayed with Haywood and Rice at the event. The money is one of 10 equal shares of the $1 million package directed to sheriff’s departments in Adams, Bolivar, Claiborne, Coahoma, Humphreys, Quitman, Sunflower, Washington, Wilkinson and Yazoo counties.
Thompson said the goal of the funding is to directly benefit residents of Mississippi’s 2nd Congressional District by strengthening public safety and supporting local sheriffs’ offices. A press release described the money as community project funding under the 2025-26 Community Project Special Appropriations, a mechanism that allows members of Congress to steer federal dollars to specific local projects.
Haywood said the Sunflower County Sheriff’s Department has been struggling to keep pace with equipment and infrastructure needs while covering a broad rural territory. He said the new federal dollars will help the department make several long-needed improvements that have been difficult to afford within the county budget.
Haywood said he plans to use the money for radios, cameras, bulletproof vests and other much-needed supplies to improve officer safety and communication capabilities.
Rice echoed Haywood’s comments and noted that the county’s tight finances have delayed upgrades for the sheriff’s department. He said the infusion of federal money arrives at a critical moment and will ease the strain on local taxpayers while still allowing the county to address public safety priorities.
Thompson’s press advisory listed South Delta Planning and Development District as a partner in the Community Project Special Appropriations effort. The advisory also identified each participating sheriff’s department by county and sheriff, including Sunflower County Sheriff James Haywood, and provided contact information for Thompson’s district and Washington offices for residents seeking more details about the project.
