Improvements announced for Mississippi DMVs

A new initiative has been announced to improve service at Mississippi's drivers' license offices.

MICHELLE OR WILL SPEAK LATER ASWELL.BUT I WANTED TO BEGIN BY.BRINGING OUR COMMISSIONER OFPUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSIONERTINDALL TO JOIN US YOU’LLREMEMBER THAT ARE REOPENINGPLANS.FOR DRIVERS LICENSE BUREAUS HAVEBEEN IN EFFECT NOW FOR SEVERALWEEKS.WHEN WE ANNOUNCED OUR PLANS TOREOPEN WE ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THISPART OF STATE GOVERNMENT HASBEEN TOTALLY BROKEN FOR A LONGTIME.IT JUST DIDN’T WORK RIGHT FORTHE PEOPLE F OUR STATE.IT WAS FRUSTRATING.IT WAS CONFUSING.AND IT WAS SLOW.AND THAT WAS BEFORE COVID-19HIT.AND WHEN COVID-19 HIT AND WE HADTO SHUT THEM DOWN TO PROTECT NOTONLY OUR STATE EMPLOYEES, BUTALSO PROTECT OUR FELLOWMISSISSIPPIANS THINGS GOT WORSE.AND THEY GOT WORSE BECAUSE THOSEBUREAUS WERE CLOSED.WHEN I WAS RUNNING FOR OFFICE IN2019, I ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THATTHE NEXT GOVERNOR WOULD HAVE TOCOME IN AND FIX IT.WHEN I TALKED TO COMMISSIONERTYNDALL AND ASKED HIM TO TAKE ONTHE REINS.I ASKED HIM TO DO EVERYTHING INHIS POWER TO QUICKLY GET ITFIXED.AND I’M HAPPY TO TELL YOU TODAYTHAT WHILE WE STILL HAVE A WAYSTO GO.WE ARE MAKING REAL PROGRESS.I UNDERSTAND THAT IN THE MONTHOF JUNE.WE DID OVER 90,000 768 ISSUES INJULY WAS 96,500 IN 83.AUGUST IT WAS OVER 80,000267,000.267,000 THE MONTH OF JUNE JULYAND AUGUST THAT’S A 77 PERCENTINCREASE.IN THE NUMBER OF CUSTOMERSSERVED FROM ONE YEAR PRIOR THATIS A TESTAMENT TO COMMISSIONER.TYNDALL’S LEADERSHIP.INTO THE BRAVE MEN AND WOMENTHAT WORK AT AT THE DEPARTMENTOF PUBLIC SAFETY.AND I COMMEND THEM.BUT WE ALSO KNOW WE GOT TOCONTINUE TO GET BETTER.AND TODAY WE’RE ANNOUNCING MOREEFFORTS TO CHANGE.IMPROVE THESE EFFORTS WILL HELPMISSISSIPPIANS.SKIP THE LINE AND GET IN AND OUTMORE QUICKLY.THAT OBVIOUSLY HELPS WITHCOVID-19 SAFETY.IT’S ALSO JUST BETTER.IT TREATS THE PEOPLE OFMISSISSIPPI THE WAY THEY DESERVETO BE TREATED.WITH RESPECT FOR YOUR TIME ANDTHE WISE USE OF YOUR TAXDOLLARS.AND SO WITH THAT I’M GOING TOTURN IT OVER TO COMMISSIONERTYNDALL AND LET HIM TELL YOUABOUT OUR NEW INITIATIVE TO SKIPTHE LINE.MISSION THANK YOU GOVERNOR.WE AT THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLICSAFETY IN THE DRIVER SERVICESBUREAU OR EXCITED TO ANNOUNCEOUR SKIP THE LINE CAMPAIGN.I’M GOING TO GO OVER SOME OF THEPOINTS IN THE HIGHLIGHTS OF THECAMPAIGN.THE FIRST IS A MAJORANNOUNCEMENT.IT’S THE ONLINE APPOINTMENTSYSTEM AND STARTING SEPTEMBER14TH, WHICH IS NEXT MONDAYCUSTOMERS AND CITIZENS OF THESTATE OF MISSISSIPPI WILL BEABLE TO GO ONLINE TO THE UPSWEBSITE AND MAKE AN APPOINTMENTTO HAVE THEIR DRIVERS LICENSEEXAM FIREARM PERMIT OTHER THINGSSCHEDULED IN ORDER TO COME INFOR A SPECIFIED APPOINTMNT TIMEAGAIN, THIS WILL BE SEPTEMBER14TH.AND THEN FOR THE FIRST TWOWEEKS, IT’S GOING TO BE A TRUEK, WHICH IS ON THE GULF COASTAND TROOP SEE WHICH IS THEJACKSON METRO AREA.WE’RE GOING TO RUN THAT PROGRAMFOR TWO TWO AND A HALF WEEKS ANDTHEN STARTING ON OCTOBER 1ST.WE WILL GO EIGHT WIDE WITH THEPROGRAM AND THAT’LL BE IT ALLPERMANENT DRIVER’S LICENSESTATIONS.WE’VE ALSO IMPLEMENTED IN TROOPK AND TROOP SEE THE SKIP THELINE CAM SO THAT CUSTOMERSBEFORE ARRIVING AT THE DRIVER’SLICENSE BUREAU STATIONS WILL BEABLE TO GO ONTO THE WEBSITE DPSAND VIEW THE LINE IF THERE IS ALINE THEY MIGHT WANT TO COME ATANOTHER TIME, BUT IT IS A SKIPTHE LINE CAM AND RIGHT NOW IT’SAVAILABLE AT TRUE K AND TROOPSSEE AND AGAIN BY OCTOBER.WE WILL HAVE THAT GO AND STAYWIDE.IN ADDITION, WE’RE DOING THEONLINE AND MAIL IN FIREARMPERMIT RENEWALS NO LONGER.WILL YOU HAVE TO GO TO ADRIVER’S LICENSE STATION ORTROOPS STATIONED TO GET YOURFIREARM PERMIT RENEWED IT WILLBE MALE IN ONLY YOU WILL NOTHAVE TO SUBMIT FINGERPRINTSBECAUSE AS EVERYONE KNOWS THATDOES A FIREARM PERMIT YOU DOYOUR FINGERPRINTS THE FIRST TIMEAND SO WE’VE DONE AWAY WITH THENEED TO HAVE TO DO YOURFINGERPRINTS FOR YOUR SUBSEQUENTRENEWALS.SO FIREARM PERMIT RENEWALS WILLBE MAIL IN ONLY.IN ADDITION AND FINALLY STARTINGON OCTOBER 1ST.WE WILL DO AWAY WITH THEALPHABET SYSTEM THAT WE DID ANDAS A TEMPORARY SOLUTION TOREOPENING AFTER THE CLOSED DOWNDUE TO COVID AND SO WE WILL NOLONGER BE UTILIZING THE ALPHABETLAST NAMES CERTAIN DAYS OF THEWEEK STARTING OCTOBER 1ST.IN ADDITION.WE’LL ALSO BE DOING ISSUANCE OFFIREARMS PERMITS AT ALL TROOPSTATIONS.ACROSS THE STATE AND SO YOU’LLBE ABLE TO COME IN AND GET A NEWNEW FIREARM PERMIT ANY DAY OFTHE WEEK.YOU CAN SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENTOR TRY TO DO A WALK IN AND ANDWE’LL BE ABLE TO DO THAT EVERYDAY OF THE WEEK AND THE CHANGETHERE IS A RESULT OF TRAININGOUR DRIVERS LICENSE SERVICEEXAMINER’S TO BE ABLE TO DO THEFINGERPRINTS ON NEW ONES INSTEADOF HAVING TO UTILIZE AN MBIOFFICER TO DO THE FINGERPRINTS.SO THAT WILL BEGIN ON OCTOBER1ST AND THAT OUR SKIP THE LINECAMPAIGN.WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO SOMEOTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS COMING INTHE FUTURE SOME UTILIZINGTECHNOLOGY AGAIN TO IMPROVE OURCUSTOMERS ACCESS TO DRIVER’SLICENSE SERVICES.I’D LIKE TO COMMEND THE STAFFAND IN THOSE THAT WORK ATDRIVER’S LICENSE SERVICES,PARTICULARLY COLONEL BROWN INTHE JOB THAT HE’S DONE ANDHELPING IMPLEMENT THESE AS WELLAS DEPUTY COMMISSIONER DAVIS INTHE EFFORT THAT THEY PUT FORTHIN COMING UP WITH THESE REALLYAN INNOVATIVE WAYS O