Courage, resilience and honor: These are the traits that come to mind when speaking of the brave women and men of the Memphis Police Department. In light of the terrible events surrounding Tyre Nichols’ death, it is difficult to put into words the importance of wanting justice for the Nichols family while also feeling compelled to support the hundreds of good MPD officers.

Is it possible for our community to come together for both causes? The answer is yes, a resounding yes.

Both goals are attainable and not mutually exclusive. Justice for Tyre Nichols must happen. And from that tragedy, we need continued swift transparency from our chief of police, the district attorney general and city leaders.

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In unison with this, we absolutely can and must appreciate the actions of the hundreds of good officers in our MPD. Without them, our city will not push through this crisis in crime. Without them, I shudder to think of the perils we would face as a community. Without the blue line protecting and serving our community, we will be lost.

In 2011, with more than 2,450 officers on the force, we had the lowest crime rate in Shelby County in recent history. Currently, we have approximately 1,950 officers, and 106 of them are still in academy training.

The need for 500 more police officers and the increase in juvenile crime is undoubtedly taking a toll on our MPD. Imagine their frustration after they catch armed teenage assailants only to find their judicial commissioners and judges immediately let them back out on the streets.

In 2022, MPD reported that 63 officers were shot at, and of those, three were struck by a bullet. Just recently, our community was saddened to hear of the passing of Memphis police officer Geoffrey Redd, who was shot and killed in the line of duty. He was active in his church community, a loving husband and father and a brave officer in our MPD. His fellow officers would say he possessed all three traits: courage, resilience and honor.

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Last summer a group of concerned citizens embarked on a mission to boost the morale of our MPD. Back the Blue 901 was formed in an effort to show our gratitude for police officers risking their lives daily. Our first group endeavor was “We’ll Have a Blue Christmas.” It was such a fun event to plan, and the number of people who wanted to jump in and help was overwhelming. From corporate sponsors to neighborhood watch groups, the love for our MPD was palpable. We were able to feed every officer a warm meal and thank them in person for their service. We even lit the bridge blue in their honor. There is no doubt that “Blue Christmas” will be an annual endeavor.

On Valentine’s Day, we were able to use corporate sponsor donations to further show our appreciation. More than 100 dozen Gibson’s donuts were delivered to all nine precincts.

When we visited with the officers, they all said even the smallest gesture means so much to them. During a precinct prayer service, officers admitted they feel a “little bit safer” knowing we are praying over them. The hundreds of honorable police officers deserve our respect and support.

I’m not certain our community is aware of the extent of programs provided by our MPD. They truly do give back to the youth in Memphis. They coach sports, they collect donated prom tuxes and dresses, they lead toy drives. The dedication from our police officers and staff is abundant.

There are several ways to help our Back the Blue 901 efforts. Start by emailing backtheblue901@gmail.com and stating your area of interest:

• Let us know if you would like to be a “boots-on-the-ground” person who visits precincts during one of their three shifts.
• Support a precinct in their youth sports program.
• Become a corporate sponsor. Every dollar will go toward showing appreciation for our MPD.
• We are in need of correspondents to send cards of appreciation to the precincts from time to time, if that appeals to you.
• Our school liaison needs help collecting cards made by children for special occasions, should you be willing to donate your time in that area.

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You can also follow us on social media and share all of the great things the MPD does for our community. Our Instagram is @_backtheblue901 and our Facebook is Back the Blue 901. We also partner with the 100 Club of Memphis, a nonprofit that offers aid to fallen officer’s families and honors those serving with valor each year.

We ask all Memphians to join us in supporting our MPD. One of the main goals of this organization is to have every neighborhood in every Memphis ZIP code represented with a group leader so we can get to know each other, learn about issues in our community and help keep our city safe.