There are 59 article(s) tagged Michael Rallings:
Activists gathered on Memphis streets for a second consecutive day Thursday, Sept. 24, to express frustration over the lack of charges in the Breonna Taylor shooting death in Kentucky as 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 a 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.
As Mayor Jim Strickland vows to 'fix' police brutality against African American citizens, his staff puts up roadblocks to accessing records.
The chief of staff to Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris talks about her son's coming transition as a young black man and worries about what will happen when he encounters police. The city's police director says his officers are not the enemy.
If there’s a commonality among many who disagree about protest tactics as well as those who by profession are on the other side of a line, maybe it’s a care for the city. Defensive pride in place is a Memphis throughline, and it may be serving us here.
The imposition of the late night curfew by Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland, announced Monday, also marks another chapter in the relationship between the city and activists who led the splinter group that tried to occupy the city's two interstate bridges Sunday night.
Protesters distributed a list of “suggested demands” at a weekend rally. Some are easier to achieve than others given the coronavirus-spiked budgeting chaos. All, perhaps, are debatable. But it would do the city great good for the current moment to become a more actionable one.
Gov. Bill Lee’s Administration is ending a highly-criticized policy of sharing COVID-positive information with 911 boards and law enforcement agencies across the state, saying plenty of PPE is available and urging first responders to wear it when they interact with people.
Despite the protests of Memphis officials and lawmakers, the House Judiciary Committee has passed a constitutional carry bill that enables “law-abiding” people to pack handguns without a state permit.