Increased highway and traffic surveillance is only one portion of how state and local officials plan to tackle crime in the city. Vickie Terry, executive director of the Memphis Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), asked Memphis Police Chief C.J. Davis and Mayor Paul Young how traffic stops contribute to their goal of tackling crime.
Terry asked this question — among others — during a webinar on Wednesday called “Defending Democracy Together: A Safer Memphis.”
Davis said while traffic stops may be the most visible component of the work they’re doing, they also have a “violent crime warrant detail.”
“You may not see that in the news,” Davis said. “You may not feel that — that could be at two o’clock in the morning. Obviously what you see every day is some of the traffic activity, but there’s hundreds of people doing other types of work.”
Davis said these duties include investigative work, analysis, and more.
The police chief added they have special briefings with MPD officers to let them know they will not deviate from their policies and procedures and are responsible for documenting and reporting anything they see as a concern from federal agents.
Community members can also report incidents and learn more about the National Guard’s deployment in Memphis here.
In terms of public safety, Davis said they’re trying to use the Guard in “non-enforcement capacities.”
“We’re hoping to utilize our Guard personnel to help direct traffic, be visible in retail corridors, and all of these other things,” Davis said.
The chief also acknowledged that citizens are concerned about having a similar occupation as occurred Washington D.C. Davis noted that in D.C. the Guard was under a federal authority.
“Here in Memphis, the Guard has been deployed by the state,” Davis said. “We are not utilizing them to do checkpoints or anything like that. We really want to dispel some of the myths and the rumors of what people think is going to happen with our service men and women.”
Davis said crime in Memphis has decreased over the past several months. She said homicides and shootings have slowed down, and vehicle thefts are reducing. While noting these changes, she did say the city needs federal help, and they have requested this assistance in the past.
“We didn’t ask for it in such large numbers, but it’s here and the mayor and I have worked with these teams to try to make sure [federal help] is working for Memphis,” Davis said.
Young added that while they have seen improvements in crime numbers, they’re “still too high.”
The NAACP referenced the progress that United States Attorney General Pam Bondi touted as a result of the Memphis Task Force. Davis said any numbers that are reported by the task force are a combination of their efforts and MPD. Davis added that the Memphis Police Department doesn’t have the resources to support all cold-case and homicide warrants.
Davis said federal analysts and other resources will help them tackle these issues, along with identifying violent criminals.
The NAACP Memphis put out a survey regarding the Guard’s deployment where officials said “probably 75 percent” strongly disapproved of the decision.
Young acknowledged there are several opinions regarding the Guard’s presence, but he believes all citizens can agree on wanting a safer city.
“While I know there are a number of people that don’t support the National Guard, there’s a umber of people that do,” Young said. “Those that do are supporting it because they want to see safety in their community.”
He also noted community comments regarding what Young’s administration should be focused on. According to the NAACP, many hope for support around affordable housing, criminal justice reform, and economic opportunities.
Young said he agreed that these elements would bring “long-term safety and vibrancy” to the community along with mental health and trauma response resources for those affected by violence.