Elevators at 201 Poplar keep going down
Elevators at the Shelby County Criminal Justice Center are in need of repair. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)
Add elevators to the long list of problems at 201 Poplar Ave.
When a Daily Memphian reporter visited the Walter L. Bailey Criminal Justice Center on Friday, Aug. 23, crews were working on an inoperable elevator, one of three Shelby County Support Services is repairing. Waiting is inevitable; sometimes, people get stuck on the elevators; and other times, riders must push on the doors open or closed.
Shelby County government plans to install new elevators, for both the public and jail inmates at the CJC — more commonly known as 201 Poplar. But construction remains years away, and in the meantime, people who work in the building say the situation is inconvenient, negligent and dangerous.
There are two sets of elevators in the lobby’s elevator bank. One set of four elevators goes up to the seventh floor, giving passengers access to Shelby County’s criminal courtrooms. The other set of four elevators goes to the seventh through 12 floors, providing access to entities such as the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office and the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office.
Topics
Shelby County Government Subscriber Only 201 PoplarThank you for supporting local journalism.
Subscribers to The Daily Memphian help fund our not-for-profit newsroom of nearly 40 local journalists plus more than 20 freelancers, all of whom work around the clock to cover the issues impacting our community. Subscriptions - and donations - also help fund our community access programs which provide free access to K-12 schools, community organizations, and more. Thank you for making our work possible.
Julia Baker
Julia Baker covers Memphis and Shelby County’s law enforcement agencies and is a member of The Daily Memphian’s public safety reporting team. A lifelong Memphian, Julia graduated from the University of Memphis in 2021. Other publications and organizations she has written for include Chalkbeat, Memphis Flyer, Memphis Parent magazine and Memphis magazine.
Want to comment on our stories or respond to others? Join the conversation by subscribing now. Only paid subscribers can add their thoughts or upvote/downvote comments. Our commenting policy can be viewed here.