Memphis activists react after former Minnesota police officer Derek Chauvin, convicted in George Floyd’s death, was sentenced to 22½ years in prison. 

Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland also called on the state of Tennessee to use its federal American Rescue Plan Act funding to put more highway patrol officers on the city’s interstates permanently as well as cameras to combat shootings.

Shelby County Dist. Atty. Amy Weirich, law enforcement and advocates announced a new relocation program to be offered to victims and witnesses of crime who may be intimidated or afraid to testify in criminal cases. 

Even Anthony Smith, who was a drag racer in the ‘Street Outlaws: Memphis’ TV series, says there’s a problem. ‘These kids now are out here ... cutting doughnuts and shooting guns in the air, and that ain’t the drag racing we do.’

Cerelyn “C.J.” Davis was sworn in as Memphis’ police chief Friday, June 18. She is the first woman to be named chief in the city’s history. 

David Boone, a Shelby County teacher and alderman in Brighton, has been indicted after he was accused of fondling a juvenile in an incident that occurred in Southaven, Mississippi. 

“For reasons still under investigation, three officers fired at the man, fatally wounding him,” the TBI said in a press release. The victim had multiple firearms, the release said, and would not drop them.

West says it provided no services for the $16 million contract and provides records that show how much its physicians’ salary pool increased during the “partnership.”

Shelby County General Sessions Judge John Donald is set to retire next month after 35 years on the bench. 

He said policing has been his ministry. “I’ve always had a heart for helping those that really could not make that next step by themselves, and they needed some assistance,” he said. “I love God, and I just feel like His hand has been over me to drive that badge forward in a ministry type way.”

The Fourth Unity Walk comes after a year of unprecedented violence that saw 2020 become the deadliest year on record for Memphis, with 332 homicides. And 2021 is on path to continue that trend.

Leon Gray, special assistant to Juvenile Court Judge Dan Michael, died Friday, June 11. He worked in television and radio and was well known in the community.

Gadson “Will” Perry, a Memphis lawyer, has been appointed as the new Shelby County Chancery Court judge in Memphis. 

The trial for state Sen. Katrina Robinson and two others has been postponed after attorneys told the court they need more time to prepare.

George “K-Rack” Johnson, 46, was booked in the Shelby County jail Wednesday and charged with misdemeanor assault.

Sherra Wright wants a judge to toss her 2019 guilty plea in connection with the slaying of her ex-husband, former NBA star Lorenzen Wright. 

State Sen. Katrina Robinson and two co-defendants are facing trial on charges of wire fraud and money laundering. The case is separate from allegations that Robinson stole more than $600,000 from her business, The Healthcare Institute.

Collierville detective Madison Zuck graduated from the National Forensic Academy. 

MPD veteran Don Crowe has been promoted to assistant police chief. He will be second in command under new Police Chief Cerelyn “C.J.” Davis, who starts June 14. 

Transparency advocates say reforms are needed to make police body camera footage less expensive, more accessible to the public.

Related article:

Lack of Transparency: Bodycam footage often costly, heavily edited and takes months to get

Police bodycam programs were created to promote transparency and build public trust, yet high costs and long waits for heavily edited footage makes those programs a ‘bait and switch,’ critics say.

Related story:

Critics advocate reforms to limit bodycam fees and redactions

A new Shelby County Youth Assessment Center is slated to open in July at the former Raleigh library. The county will operate the center. 

Police issued an arrest warrant Friday, June 4, on a charge of assault against the crew worker who berated and threatened Shelby County Commissioner Tami Sawyer Tuesday in Health Sciences Park. 

Shelby County Criminal Court Judge Paula Skahan ruled state prosecutors can hire an expert in the Pervis Payne case to determine if the death row inmate an intellectual disability.

Paul Whited, a choir teacher at Bartlett High School, has been indicted on a theft charge, accused of stealing at least $6,900 in choir fees.