Murder, carjacking, gun offenses and smash-and-grabs are among the 12 crimes Shelby County District Attorney General Steve Mulroy’s office will prioritize for prosecution in the new year.

His office will prioritize the prosecution of a dozen violent crimes and violent-adjacent crimes by focusing on three primary categories: bail and bonds, imposing case timelines and investigative strategies.

“It’s clear there is no more important issue in Memphis or Shelby County than public safety,” Mulroy said.

District Attorney targets violent crime with latest public safety strategy

In formally announcing the initiative Tuesday, Dec. 19, Mulroy was flanked by Deputy District Attorney Paul Hagerman; Memphis Police Department Deputy Chief of Investigative Services Paul Wright; Ernest Brooks II, associate deputy district attorney and senior policy adviser in the DA’s office; and Chris Lareau, first deputy in the DA’s office. 

The dozen offenses Mulroy’s office will target are:

• First-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder
• Second-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder
• Carjacking and attempted carjacking
• Aggravated robbery
• Especially aggravated robbery
• Aggravated assault (with a gun fired)
• Aggravated burglary (with the homeowner present)
• Violent sex offenses
• Convicted felon in possession of a firearm
• Being caught in a stolen vehicle with a firearm
• Possessing a Glock switch 
• Retail theft and smash-and-grabs 

“If you come through the doors of this building having committed one of these offenses, you will be held accountable,” Mulroy said. “The first responsibility of any government is public safety. Prosecuting violent criminals isn’t the whole solution, but it is part of the solution.”

He said the initiative is a continuance of what the office has been doing to refocus on violent crime, including launching the Cold Case Unit and Operation Broken Bottles as well as instructing assistant district attorneys not to drop nonfatal shooting cases without Hagerman’s approval.

Mulroy highlighted three categories that will encompass the violent crime initiative.

Bail

• Seek bail/bond decisions to properly reflect public safety.
• Argue for court-ordered monitoring for defendants who are let out on bail. This could include a combination of GPS monitoring or enrollment in the city’s Gun Violence Intervention Program. 
• Get automated alerts of every defendant’s contact with law enforcement. The office will seek to revoke bond for those who are rearrested.

Timing

• Contact and notify victims/family within 24 hours of receiving a case.
• Impose internal deadlines on prosecutors to resolve the cases as quickly as possible.

Investigation

• Monitor jail calls.
• Maintain regular contact with law enforcement.
• Check ballistics with the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) database.

Mulroy cautioned that his office will not be able to bend the curve overnight.

“The first responsibility of any government is public safety. Prosecuting violent criminals isn’t the whole solution, but it is part of the solution.”

Shelby County District Attorney General Steve Mulroy

“We will update it as we go as we learn from experience what works best, but we are not compromising on public safety,” Mulroy said. “Everybody deserves to feel safe. The message needs to be if you have committed one of these offenses, you will be prosecuted vigorously. And you will go to prison.”

Mulroy’s announcement comes on the heels of another agency’s efforts to curb violent crime: The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee announced a separate Violent Crime Initiative Nov. 28.

The federal initiative will see the addition of federal prosecutors in Memphis as well as investigations into organized crime. It also will include a community-engagement portion around crime.

Seven prosecutors from the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division will be brought to Memphis, including senior members of its Violent Crime and Racketeering Section who specialize in prosecuting organized crime. Data-driven investigations into organized crime will drive the enhanced prosecution work.