Former death row inmate Pervis Payne may be eligible for parole in five years after a judge ruled on his sentencing. 

Two years ago, the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office assigned three prosecutors to work directly at area police precincts, in hopes of streamlining the criminal justice system and to keep from charging people for crimes if there’s not enough evidence to establish probable cause.

Violent crime was up 2% in Memphis last year as homicides hit a record 346, an increase of 14 over the 2020, which had also set a record for slayings.

A 20-year-old Memphis man was shot and killed by a SCSO SWAT officer during a standoff and chase in Cordova, Wednesday, Jan. 26. John Hunt died on the scene. 

State Rep. John Gillespie, a Memphis Republican, intends to make it easier to prosecute drag racers with an offense more severe than mere reckless driving.

The Memphis Police Department doesn’t engage in high-speed car chases unless in pursuit of a dangerous felon. But one City Council member says the policy should change.

Related stories:

The history of MPD’s pursuit policy

Memphis Police Department’s pursuit policy, explained

Here are the basics of the MPD pursuit policy from the police manual.

The current policy bars police car chases for misdemeanors including traffic offenses.

The family of Drew Rainer, a Rhodes College student shot and killed in a home invasion robbery last year, has added money to the reward in case. 

MPD officer and another driver were killed in a crash on Shelby Drive and Pleasant Hill early Thursday morning. 

A juvenile was among those wounded outside the Balmoral Shopping Center on Wednesday.

Justin Johnson and Cornelius Smith made their first court appearance Wednesday, Jan. 19. 

Calling it a “terrible reality,” Memphis City Councilman Worth Morgan said that “people are not being held accountable for fleeing from police.”

Whether it is an old-fashioned drag race on a quarter-mile of city street straightaway, weaving in and out of traffic at 100-mph-plus on interstates or performing stunts in public parking lot, the street racing culture brings danger, and sometimes tragedy, to those unfortunate enough to be nearby.

An animal abuse case has left many Mid-South families, including several Memphis ones, wondering about the fate of their pets. 

Tennessee Highway Patrol Colonel Matt Perry: “We’re gonna hire a whole lot of troopers in a short period.”

A total of three people have now been arrested in connection with the shooting death of Memphis rapper Young Dolph, authorities said Wednesday, Jan. 12.

Judge sets sentencing hearing for March 3 in state Sen. Katrina Robinson’s fraud case. 

Justin Johnson had posted on social media that he planned to surrender locally on Monday, Jan. 10, but did not. He was arrested in Indiana, and a second suspect, Cornelius Smith, was arrested in Southaven.

The dismissal came after Allen and his wife, Desiree, the victim in the Nov. 28 incident, appeared in court together Tuesday afternoon with attorney Leslie Ballin. 

The money will mean raises of up to 20% for guards working at prisons run by the county administration.

Police Chief C.J. Davis reported a duty weapon assigned to her was stolen from a vehicle parked outside a Cordova business.

Both defendants in the homicide have remained in jail without bond since their 2018 arrests.

The DeSoto County town was identified in 2021 as the third-safest city in Mississippi by Safewise.com, and citizens want to keep it safe.