There are 66 article(s) tagged Michael Rallings:
As the Memphis Police Department weighs a request by District Attorney General Amy Weirich to start sending all confirmed cases of excessive force to her office for criminal review, this hotly disputed September 2016 incident illustrates how thorny Weirich’s proposal may be. Related Story: A third of MPD excessive force findings are reversed by commanders
The U.S. Marshal’s Service is offering $50,000 in rewards for information in the cases of eight children who have been slain this year in Memphis.
The violent crime task force is forming as Police Director Michael Rallings told City Council members Tuesday that more officers means less crime. The city has already this year set a record for the number of annual homicides.
For two weeks, the state’s Emergency Management agency has been walking local leaders, including law enforcement, through such election surprises as voter intimidation, disruptions and even civil disorder in the event no one concedes in the contentious presidential race atop the ballot.
An investigation by The Daily Memphian leads District Attorney Amy Weirich to ask MPD to systematically refer findings of excessive force to her office for criminal review.
A “frequent flyer” with dozens of encounters with law enforcement is hit with pepper foam and denied water, even as three Crisis Intervention Team-trained officers were on the scene.
MPD officers are suspended in connection with Black man’s rape allegations, posing fresh questions about controversial stop-and-frisk practices.
Memphis Police Director Michael Rallings weighed in during a press conference over the department’s Use of Force policy. A Wednesday incident in which a gun was allegedly pointed at protesters also was a topic of conversation.
But the reforms amount to a hollow ruse, says activist who complained about an officer who shot and killed a Black man in 2013.
A federal lawsuit contends Memphis police sexually assaulted a Black man during a stop-and-frisk operation and then failed to properly investigate the incident. The suit cites evidence from a Daily Memphian allegation into MPD’s failure to refer brutality claims to prosecutors.
Cops are confronting COVID-19 in an era of national "anti-police" sentiment. Local police acknowledge some reform is required, noting the emphasis on "duty to intervene." But they also say the current environment is chipping away at officer morale and may keep some young people from choosing law enforcement as a career.
Officer Otto Kiehl received a 10-day suspension but the case is one of several serious incidents of police abuse not sent to prosecutors to weigh possible criminal charges.
A Memphis police officer's repeated use of a Taser headlines more questions about use of force at MPD and why the agency isn't referring cases for prosecutorial review.
Questions surface as city officials limit access to police brutality files and sidestep requests for comment regarding excessive force.
Memphis police report a 30% increase in homicides this year compared to same period last year.
Mayor Jim Strickland’s reform discussions are continuing, he said Wednesday, but critics of the belief that more cops means less crime have become more vocal since the death in Minneapolis of George Floyd on Memorial Day.
Memphis City Council members also got their first look Tuesday at how much police have spent in the past four years on overtime and riot gear as well as other preparations to handle protests.
Gov. Bill Lee announced Thursday, July 2, plans for a partnership with various agencies to enhance officer training and increase police training.
Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland and Memphis Police Director Michael Rallings talked about further police reform efforts at a Tuesday briefing that was partially an answer to critics of Strickland's first set of reforms.
"While the MPD has some ways to go before it is fully reflective of the communities it serves, do we really believe that officers brought in from outside counties or states will improve any situation?"
Nine ministers – who were all involved in the set of private meetings with the mayor that lead up to his City Hall announcement Thursday regarding moves toward police reform – put out a letter Friday critical of the reforms Strickland had announced.
The press conference comes after a month of private discussions with community and religious leaders and a move toward police reforms by the Memphis City Council as well as the Shelby County Commission.
Memphis Police Director Michael Rallings said Thursday, June 18, that technology, including social media, is vital to the department, and he fears the 1978 Kendrick Consent Decree will stop his department from doing its job.
Memphis City Council member JB Smiley is pushing a resolution to urge Mayor Jim Strickland’s administration to put data, complaints and other information regarding police misconduct and use of force on the city’s website.
The first reception to the council resolutions presented Tuesday comes with a record of past resistance that indicates it probably won't be as easy as a council vote. The resolutions are advisory.