Memphis plans to hire former federal judge to monitor MPD
After a recent federal investigation alleged the Memphis Police Department was violating some residents’ civil rights, the city plans to hire former federal judge Bernice Donald as a monitor of sorts for MPD.
Donald, a former judge on the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, will serve in what the city described as a “Process Oversight Capacity” and oversee what could be a nine-person task force that would design the city’s further response. The city described the role as autonomous, and she would be “vested with the decisional authority necessary to ensure public confidence in the undertaking.”
The move comes after City of Memphis leadership said it would not enter into a binding consent decree with the U.S. Department of Justice.
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Samuel Hardiman
Samuel Hardiman is an enterprise reporter who focuses on government and politics. He began his career at the Tulsa World where he covered business and K-12 education. Hardiman came to Memphis in 2018 to join the Memphis Business Journal, covering government and economic development. He then served as the Commercial Appeal’s city hall reporter and later joined The Daily Memphian in 2023. His current work focuses on the intersection of government, public policy, influence and how public dollars are spent.
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