Memphis plans to hire former federal judge to monitor MPD
After a recent federal investigation alleged the Memphis Police Department was violating some residents’ civil rights, the city plans to hire former federal judge Bernice Donald as a monitor of sorts for MPD.
Donald, a former judge on the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, will serve in what the city described as a “Process Oversight Capacity” and oversee what could be a nine-person task force that would design the city’s further response. The city described the role as autonomous, and she would be “vested with the decisional authority necessary to ensure public confidence in the undertaking.”
The move comes after City of Memphis leadership said it would not enter into a binding consent decree with the U.S. Department of Justice.
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Samuel Hardiman
Samuel Hardiman is an enterprise and investigative reporter who focuses on local government and politics. A native Rhode Islander who lives Downtown, he enjoys tennis, golf and reading.
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