Memphis Police Department | |
---|---|
Abbreviation | MPD |
Agency overview | |
Formed | 1827 |
Employees | 1,950 (2022) |
Annual budget | $273 million (2020) [1] |
Jurisdictional structure | |
Operations jurisdiction | Memphis, Tennessee, United States |
Jurisdiction of the Memphis Police Department | |
Size | 816.0 |
Population | 650,632 (2018) |
Legal jurisdiction | Memphis, Tennessee |
Governing body | Memphis City Council |
Constituting instrument |
|
General nature | |
Operational structure | |
Headquarters | 170 N. Main St., Memphis, TN 38103 |
Officers | 2,058 (2019) |
Agency executives |
|
Bureaus | 4
|
Facilities | |
Precincts | 9
|
Website | |
Official website |
The Memphis Police Department is a law enforcement agency in Tennessee in the United States.
The Memphis Police Department (MPD) provides police services to the people of the city of Memphis in a 304-square-mile area with 2,081 officers. There are nine precincts in the Memphis area. [2] [3] The chief of police is appointed by the mayor and ratified by the city council. [4]
The administrative services department provides services that enable the other programs to effectively respond to service calls. It provides security services; warrant, subpoena, and property processing; radio and telephone communications; inspection of police services; and management of information and human resources. Additional functions include the reporting and recording of crimes and incidents and personnel development.
The investigative services department includes the domestic violence bureau, the homicide, the missing person's bureau, the sex crimes/juvenile abuse bureau, the general investigative bureau, the felony response bureau, and support units.
Uniform patrol is divided into the geographic areas of Tillman Station (Central Precinct), North Main Station (Downtown Precinct), Appling Farms Station (Northeast Precinct), Crump Station (West Precinct), Mt. Moriah Station (East Precinct), Old Allen Station (North Precinct), Raines Station (South Precinct), Airways Station (Southeast Precinct), Ridgeway Station, and Union Station (Traffic Division).
Staff representation by race is 52 percent African American/Black, 47 percent White, and one percent Hispanic. 84 percent of staff are male, and 16 percent are female. [5]
Officers are issued the SIG Sauer P229R DAK .40 S&W as the sidearm of choice.
The MPD uses these ranks:
Title | Insignia |
---|---|
Chief of Police | |
Assistant Chief of Police | * |
Deputy Chief | |
Colonel | |
Lieutenant Colonel | |
Major | |
Lieutenant | |
Sergeant | |
PIIP/PII/Detective | No Rank Insignia |
The assistant chief insignia is four stars arranged in a diamond pattern.
The Memphis Police Department was founded in 1827. [6] In 1878, the 55-man police department was devastated by the yellow fever epidemic with all 55 officers stricken, and 10 officers dying. [6] By 1927, the city's murder rate was 69.3 per 100,000 population, the highest in the country. In comparison, Chicago, then controlled by Al Capone, had a murder rate of only 13.3 per 100,000. [7] Memphis police officers Thomas Waterson and Sergeant William Raney captured George "Machine Gun" Kelly in 1933. The first African American officers were hired in 1948, twenty years before the 1968 Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in Memphis which sparked riots and curfews across the city. In 1973, the department witnessed the formation of two police unions—the Afro-American Police Association and the Memphis Police Association, a bargaining unit representing patrolmen and sergeants, and in 1978 the department went on an eight-day strike in a labor dispute with city leaders.
In 1979, the city admitted that written tests used in the police hiring and promotion process had a disparate impact on blacks. [8] [9] In 2002, a test used in the promotion process resulted in 31 percent of black candidates promoted, and 73 percent of whites. [8] In 2006, a court ruled the 2002 test violated the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and "28 plaintiffs with passing exam scores and sufficient work experience were promoted"; a decision reversed in 2014 by the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. [8]
James Ivy became the city's first African-American police director in 1988. 1992 saw Eddie B. Adair named the first African American chief of police
In 1992, Sergeant Jim Nichols, assigned to MPD Research & Development, formed a non-profit organization that raised money to allow MPD to become one of the first law enforcement agencies in Tennessee to utilize computers in a networks systems, where each detective, as well as the executive administration, had a computer on their desk to assist in writing up reports, running background checks, send and receive an email as well as other administrative needs relating to law enforcement.
In June 2013, Officer Brandon Berry was charged with forcing men to have sex with him in exchange for not arresting them on outstanding warrants. [10] The next month officer Jason Webb was fired when he was charged with soliciting sex from an underage prostitute. [11] In August 2013, Officer Vance Stacks was convicted of drunk driving and weapons charges related to a traffic accident in 2011. [12] In September 2013, Officer Alex Beard plead guilty to reduced charges as a result of reckless behavior. In August 2012, while driving his official vehicle at more than ninety miles an hour without lights or a siren, he struck another car, killing a woman and her daughter. Beard was sentenced to six months in jail and six years on probation. [13] In December 2013, Officer Matthew Ashmore was arrested after child pornography was found on his telephone. [14]
In July 2014, hundreds of policemen called in sick apparently to protest the city reducing pay by 4.6 percent while giving millions of dollars to private entities. On July 5, 181 officers called in sick. The following Monday, 550 officers did not come to work. [15] In late 2014, press reports indicated that the department had 11,000 untested rape kits on hand. [16]
The new MPD headquarters at 170 North Main Street, was opened in 2017.
In 2018 due to a shortage of police officer staff and candidates, the requirement that newly-hired officers have a college degree was removed; officers were instead given four years to obtain a college degree after being hired. [17] The Memphis Police Association opposed the change, saying "citizens deserve quality officers", and described the change as "lowering the standards". [17] The same year, MPD was sued by the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee for violating a 1978 decree by surveilling on citizens for political purposes. White MPD Sergeant Timothy Reynolds admitted in the trial that he pretended to be a black man named "Bob Smith" on Facebook to spy on activists participating in the Black Lives Matter movement, one of them being journalist and founder of MLK50 Wendi C. Thomas. Judge Jon Phipps McCalla ruled that MPD was guilty of violating the decree. [18] [19]
In late 2020, retired African- American MPD Homicide Investigator Eric Kelly was charged with having a sexual relationship with a murder suspect. [20]
In October 2021, MPD launched the SCORPION (street crimes operation to restore peace in our neighborhoods) specialized unit which targeted high-impact crimes and gang-related offenses. [21] The unit had three teams totaling about 30 officers. [22] [23] The same year, the department appointed the first female and first African American Chief of Police, Cerelyn J. Davis. Also in 2021, Mayor Strickland's Advisory Council Reimagining Police report was released with recommendations. [24] In 2023, Following the killing of Tyre Nichols, the SCORPION unit was disbanded, [21] by Police Chief Davis who also terminated the employment of five associated officers. [22] [23]
On March 8, 2023, the United States Department of Justice announced that it would investigate the Memphis PD following the killing of Tyre Nichols. [25]
The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), formerly known as the Metropolitan Police, which is still its common name, serves as the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement and crime prevention within the ceremonial county of Greater London. In addition, it is responsible for specialised tasks throughout the United Kingdom, such as UK counter-terrorism measures, and the protection of certain individuals, including the monarch, royal family, governmental officials, and other designated figures. Commonly referred to as the Met, it is also referred to as Scotland Yard or the Yard, after the location of its original headquarters in Great Scotland Yard, Whitehall in the 19th century. Its present headquarters are near there at New Scotland Yard on the Victoria Embankment.
A police station is a building which serves to accommodate police officers and other members of police staff. Police stations typically contain offices and accommodation for personnel and vehicles, along with locker rooms, temporary holding cells and interview/interrogation rooms.
The Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia (MPDC), more commonly known locally as the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), and, colloquially, DC Police, is the primary law enforcement agency for the District of Columbia, in the United States. With approximately 3,400 officers and 600 civilian staff, it is the sixth-largest municipal police department in the United States. The department serves an area of 68 square miles (180 km2) and a population of over 700,000 people. Established on August 6, 1861, the MPD is one of the oldest police departments in the United States. The MPD headquarters is at the Henry J. Daly Building, located on Indiana Avenue in Judiciary Square across the street from the District of Columbia Court of Appeals and the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The department's mission is to "safeguard the District of Columbia and protect its residents and visitors with the highest regard for the sanctity of human life". The MPD's regulations are compiled in title 5, chapter 1 of the District of Columbia Code.
The Houston Police Department (HPD) is the primary municipal law enforcement agency serving the City of Houston, Texas, United States and some surrounding areas. With approximately 5,300 officers and 1,200 civilian support personnel it is the fifth-largest municipal police department, serving the fourth-largest city in the United States. Its headquarters are at 1200 Travis in Downtown Houston.
The New York City Police Department Auxiliary Police is a volunteer reserve police force which is a subdivision of the Patrol Services Bureau of the New York City Police Department. Auxiliary Police Officers assist the NYPD with uniformed patrols, providing traffic control, crowd control, and other services during major events.
The Miami Police Department (MPD), also known as the City of Miami Police Department, is a full-service municipal law enforcement agency serving Miami, Florida, United States. MPD is the largest municipal police department in Florida. MPD officers are distinguishable from their Miami-Dade Police Department counterparts by their blue uniforms and blue-and-white patrol vehicles.
The St. Louis County Police Department is the primary law enforcement agency St. Louis County in the U.S. state.
The Milwaukee Police Department is the police department organized under the city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The department has a contingent of about 1,800 sworn officers when at full strength and is divided into seven districts. Jeffrey B. Norman is the current chief of police, serving since December 2020.
The Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) is the primary law enforcement agency in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. It is also the largest police department in Minnesota. Formed in 1867, it is the second-oldest police department in Minnesota, after the Saint Paul Police Department that formed in 1854. A short-lived Board of Police Commissioners existed from 1887 to 1890.
The Phoenix Police Department is the law enforcement agency responsible for the city of Phoenix, Arizona. As of May 2024, the Phoenix Police Department comprises just over 2,500 officers, some 625 below authorized strength of 3,125 and more than 1,000 support personnel. The department serves a population of more than 1.64 million and patrol almost 516 square miles (1,340 km2) of the fifth largest city in the United States.
The New York City Police Department (NYPD) is structured into numerous bureaus and units. As a whole, the NYPD is headed by the Police Commissioner, a civilian administrator appointed by the Mayor, with the senior sworn uniformed officer of the service titled "Chief of Department". The Police Commissioner appoints the First Deputy Commissioner as the department's second-in-command and the Chief of Department as the department's highest ranking uniformed officer. The commissioner also appoints a number of deputy and assistant commissioners who do not have operational command and are solely for support and administrative function. The department is divided into twenty bureaus, six of which are enforcement bureaus. Each enforcement bureau is further subdivided into sections, divisions, and units, and into patrol boroughs, precincts, and detective squads. Each bureau is commanded by a bureau chief. There are also a number of specialized units that are not part of any of the bureaus and report to the Chief of the Department.
The Manila Police District (MPD) is the agency of the Philippine National Police (PNP) responsible for law enforcement in the City of Manila including the Manila South Cemetery exclave. Formerly known as the Western Police District (WPD), the MPD is under the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO), which also handles the Quezon City, Eastern, Northern and Southern Police Districts.
James Steven Strickland Jr. is an American attorney and politician who served as the 64th mayor of Memphis, Tennessee between 2016 and 2024. A Democrat, he previously served as a member of the Memphis City Council. Strickland is also an adjunct professor at the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law.
Cerelyn "C. J." Davis is an American police officer who is the 13th chief of police for the Memphis Police Department. Davis is the Memphis Police Department's first Black female chief.
Medaria Arradondo is an American law enforcement official who served as the Chief of the Minneapolis Police Department from 2017 to 2022. He was the first black chief of the Minneapolis Police Department.
The Shannon Street massacre was a shootout and standoff between law enforcement and religious leaders at a house on Shannon Street in Memphis, Tennessee, United States from January 11 to January 13, 1983. Memphis Police Department (MPD) officers Ray Schwill and Bobby Hester were called to the house after which a confrontation ensued and Hester was taken hostage by men inside the house. After a 30 hour standoff, an MPD SWAT team stormed the house and opened fire, killing all seven captors, after which Hester was found beaten to death. The MPD's handling of the incident was controversial and led to changes in the department's procedure.
The following is a timeline of race relations and policing in Minneapolis–Saint Paul, providing details with a history of policing in the Twin Cities in the U.S. state of Minnesota from the nineteenth century to the present day. The Hennepin County Sheriff's Office, with its headquarters in downtown Minneapolis, is one of the "largest law enforcement agencies in Minnesota" with division and unit facilities throughout Hennepin County. Twin cities, Saint Paul and Minneapolis, have their own police departments, the Minneapolis Police Department, which was established in 1867 and the Saint Paul Police Department. A union for rank and file officers in Minneapolis—the Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis —was established in 1917.
On January 7, 2023, Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old black man, was fatally injured by five black police officers in Memphis, Tennessee, and died three days later. The officers, all members of the Memphis Police Department (MPD) SCORPION unit, pulled Nichols from his car before pepper spraying and tasering him. Nichols broke free and ran toward his mother's house, which was less than a mile (1.6 km) away. Five black officers caught up with Nichols near the house, where they punched, kicked and pepper sprayed him, and struck him with a baton. Medics on the scene failed to administer care for 16 minutes after arriving. Nichols was admitted to the hospital in critical condition.
Protests over the killing of Tyre Nichols began on January 27, 2023, following the release of police body camera and surveillance footage showing five Black officers from the Memphis Police Department beating Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man. The police assault on Nichols occurred on January 7, 2023, and he died three days later in a hospital. The five officers were subsequently fired and charged with second-degree murder. Protests first emerged in Memphis, Tennessee, and spread to several cities in the United States. Protesters demanded legal accountability for the officers responsible for Nichols death and for the enactment of police-reform measures.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)