Memphis Local, Sports, Business & Food News | Daily Memphian | Bill Gibbons

Opinion: Survey shows support for local police — and for hiring more of them

wgibbons@memphis.edu (Bill Gibbons) — Sun, 15 Mar 2026 04:00:04 -0500

“With strong overall positive feelings about local police coupled with a very strong desire for more officers, we need a major effort to recruit and retain people of good character and a sense of public service to be in local law enforcement.”

Opinion: We need to address criminal forensic priorities

wgibbons@memphis.edu (Bill Gibbons) — Fri, 9 Jan 2026 04:00:12 -0600

“Investigations and prosecutions can take far too long as forensic test results are pending. But implementing a series of key additions to local forensic capabilities can make the justice system move faster and more efficiently.”

Opinion: Data is key to improving the criminal justice system

wgibbons@memphis.edu (Bill Gibbons) — Tue, 15 Apr 2025 04:00:03 -0500

“There is bipartisan support for greater concerted efforts to leverage data from across the criminal justice system to improve effectiveness, evidence-based decision making, and transparency.”

Guest Column: Curb gun crime by focusing on aggravated assault

wgibbons@memphis.edu (Bill Gibbons) — Fri, 28 Feb 2025 04:00:06 -0600

“By reducing the number of aggravated assaults, we can make a real dent in the number of victims of violent crime and reduce our violent crime rate even more.”

Opinion: Crime Commission to host public-safety forum

wgibbons@memphis.edu (Bill Gibbons) — Sun, 10 Nov 2024 04:00:15 -0600

The forum will address juvenile crime, bail, truancy and other factors with speakers including representatives from the Memphis Police Department, the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, General Sessions Court and the school system.

Guest Column: What is the Walk Against Gun Violence?

wgibbons@memphis.edu (Bill Gibbons) — Sat, 8 Jun 2024 04:00:11 -0500

“We must send a message that gun violence is unacceptable behavior! Most residents of our community are fed up with the unacceptable level of gun violence. As a community, we must take a public stand.”

Gibbons: Tackle crime by fixing what's broken

wgibbons@memphis.edu (Bill Gibbons) — Fri, 8 Mar 2024 14:14:30 -0600

The president of the Memphis Shelby Crime Commission says we need to change the juvenile justice system’s arbitrary 19th birthday cutoff and use public safety as the overriding factor in bail decisions.

Opinion: There are proven efforts that will reduce crime

wgibbons@memphis.edu (Bill Gibbons) — Wed, 21 Feb 2024 11:14:19 -0600

“The climate is ripe for what new Memphis Mayor Paul Young has called a pandemic-type response to public safety. Many other cities are being cited as ‘models’ for what can be done, and all have merit.”

Opinion: Public safety is a key to Downtown’s future

wgibbons@memphis.edu (Bill Gibbons) — Wed, 1 Nov 2023 04:00:04 -0500

“The key to maintaining and building on Downtown Memphis’ momentum is to get a handle on the reality and perception of public safety concerns and to do so with a healthy sense of urgency.”

Opinion: The General Assembly needs a sense of urgency to address gun violence

wgibbons@memphis.edu (Bill Gibbons) — Mon, 10 Jul 2023 04:00:13 -0500

In advance of the legislature’s special session, the former Shelby County District Attorney and head of Tennessee’s Department of Safety and Homeland Security argues for a series of changes to the state’s gun laws.

Opinion: In setting bail, follow the law and be transparent

wgibbons@memphis.edu (Bill Gibbons) — Mon, 12 Jun 2023 04:00:07 -0500

“Different parts of the criminal justice system tend to operate in silos, and so an easily accessible, easy to understand, transparent reporting system will require the cooperation of many different parties. The public deserves it.”

Opinion: We need to fix our broken state criminal justice system

wgibbons@memphis.edu (Bill Gibbons) — Fri, 23 Sep 2022 04:00:08 -0500

State government must not fail to fulfill the basic function of providing peace and safety to the people. We must fix what’s broken in our state criminal justice system - because we can do better than this.

Opinion: We need a third option for handling violent juveniles

wgibbons@memphis.edu (Bill Gibbons) — Wed, 17 Aug 2022 04:00:02 -0500

A new sentencing system should emphasize enhanced services and appropriate treatment designed to reduce the likelihood of a juvenile becoming a repeat offender.

Opinion: How and why some juveniles are transferred to adult court

wgibbons@memphis.edu (Bill Gibbons) — Thu, 21 Jul 2022 09:12:41 -0500

Former district attorney explains the laws, guidelines and considerations that officials make when assessing juveniles accused of violent crime.

Guest column: We need a sense of urgency to curb gun violence

wgibbons@memphis.edu (Bill Gibbons) — Wed, 1 Jun 2022 11:55:37 -0500

“There is no one easy, quick answer to the challenge of gun violence, but there are some common sense steps that could make a significant dent.”

Guest Column: Police residency issue is the key to recruitment, retention

wgibbons@memphis.edu (Bill Gibbons) — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 18:38:57 -0600

Opinion: Loosening the residency requirement for both the Memphis Police Department and the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office is not the sole answer to the law enforcement shortage, but it is a needed and effective tool in recruitment and retention efforts.

How many more MPD officers do we need, and how do we get them?

wgibbons@memphis.edu (Bill Gibbons) — Thu, 13 Aug 2020 04:00:03 -0500

Loosening the residency requirement would make it easier for Memphis to create racial diversity in the ranks of MPD with smart, targeted recruiting. But in a perplexing vote, the Memphis City Council decided to remove the residency referendum from the Nov. 3 ballot.

Opinion: How to make Memphis safer from gun violence

wgibbons@memphis.edu (Bill Gibbons) — Wed, 8 Jul 2020 04:00:15 -0500

In “Bleeding Out,” a senior research fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, writes that "nothing works as well to reduce urban violence as focused deterrence.”

Curbing the gang violence 'epidemic' is Memphis' priority

info@scdag.com (Amy Weirich) — Tue, 5 Nov 2019 08:23:30 -0600

The Kelly Report submitted to the Memphis Shelby Crime Commission recommends expanding the Multi-Agency Gang Unit and ramping up data-driven policing to address gang violence.

Why do we need to reduce crime and how do we do it?

wgibbons@memphis.edu (Bill Gibbons) — Wed, 21 Nov 2018 04:00:08 -0600

Downtown development is booming, with new announcements occurring, it seems, almost daily.