Thumbnail: Memphis’ major violent crime rate has climbed in five of the last six years, creating the single biggest frustration for the Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland, who was elected on the pledge to lower the crime rate.
Read More
Over the past three decades, U.S. cities have allocated larger and larger shares of their budgets...
Read More
Thumbnail: The appointment of Cerelyn Davis as the new police chief in Memphis is historic in selecting an African Woman, the first outsider in 50 years. More to the point, it could be historic in bringing new ideas and new voices into law enforcement strategies in Memphis.
Read More
Thumbnails: The late Memphian, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court Abe Fortas, is used by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in his pretzel logic about the appointment of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s successor. It’s worth remembering the entire and powerful story of this distinguished Memphian’s life and how raw politics blocked his appointment as chief justice in one of the U.S. Senate’s darkest moments.
Read More
Thumbnail: After 48 years of police directors chosen from within the Memphis Police Department culture, Memphis has the opportunity to bring in new perspectives and new ideas with a new hire who is prepared to answer the key question: Does Memphis need more police or better police? It is now also the primary question that is front and center for the newly appointed City of Memphis reimagining police committee.
Read More
Thumbnail: The Philadelphia Millennial Advisory Committee – created by city government to obtain input from millennials. They may be getting more than they bargained for, becuase the group is a model of active leadership by young leaders and they are making the most of the opportunity to provide candid, honest, and direct opinions, most lately on the subject of police reform and issues related to Black Lives Matter.
Read More
Thumbnail: The new committee on reimaging policing has the opportunity to be the change agent that Memphis has needed. It requires them to do more than rely on the usual suspects for ideas, data, and recommendations. Recent research by Prof. Barry Friedman and commentaries by consultant David Eichenthal are must reads for the committee to get off on the right foot.
Read More
Thumbnail: City of Memphis has yet another magic number for the size of its police force. It continues the arrest and jail philosophy that has largely failed to develop a balanced crime-fighting plan that includes prevention and intervention. City Council is being asked to go on record in favor of a 2,800 police force but without the other critical elements to reducing crime.
Read More
Thumbnail: I recently posted a New York Daily News’ column by David Eichenthal, prominent consultant on city finances and justice with the PFM Group. He was also lead consultant to City of Memphis’ Five Year Strategic Fiscal and Management Plan. He says police and corrections have become sacred cows, with elected officials calling for more police as a show of their commitment to crime reduction, when it is time to reexamine and revamp hiring practices to require standards of professionalism, no tolerance policies toward abuse, and common sense policies limiting the use of force.
Read More
Thumbnail: Prominent consultant on city finances and justice David Eichenthal’s New York Daily News op-ed is especially relevant to Memphis. He says police and corrections have become sacred cows, with elected officials calling for more police as a show of their commitment to crime reduction. He cites that Memphis spends 38% of its budget on police and now’s the time to consider other options to fight crime.
Read More
Thumbnail: After 48 years of police directors chosen from within the Memphis Police Department culture, Memphis has the opportunity to bring in new perspectives and new ideas with a new hire who is prepared to answer the key question: Does Memphis need more police or better police?
Read More
Thumbnail: Another volatile county commissioners’ meeting resulted from suggestions that the sheriff’s budget should be reduced. The budget is significantly larger than the mayor’s budget and accounts for 45% of the general fund. The sheriff needs to step forward to lead the process to reimagine better law enforcement.
Read More
by Bill Day. Memphian Bill Day is two-time winner of the RFK Journalism Award in Cartooning. His cartoons are syndicated internationally by Cagle Cartoons. Cartoons Archive →
