How many more MPD officers do we need, and how do we get them?
Bill Gibbons
Bill Gibbons is president of the Memphis Shelby Crime Commission and executive director of the Public Safety Institute at the University of Memphis. Previously, he was commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security and district attorney for Shelby County. He has also served on the Memphis City Council and the Shelby County Board of Commissioners.
Loosening the residency requirement would make it easier for Memphis to create racial diversity in the ranks of MPD with smart, targeted recruiting. But in a perplexing vote, the Memphis City Council decided to remove the residency referendum from the Nov. 3 ballot.
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City HR officer: ‘We were wrong’ about residency
We told anyone who would listen that to help drive down violent crime in our city, we needed to recruit 2,300 officers to the Memphis Police Department by the end of this year. A new study shows MPD needs more than 2,800 police officers to patrol the streets of Memphis.
Opinion: Build safer communities with opportunity, not officers
The data does not show that we need more police to become a safer city. Police experts will tell you: It is more about how you use police officers, rather than how many you have.
Residency issue removed from November ballot, goal of 2,800 police force delayed
Two proposals with common political ground were before the council Tuesday.
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