Building Together: City of Memphis Weekly Newsletter (2024)

Last week, I shared our crime plan priorities - we are calling them the 5 Cs: Cameras, Curfews, Code Zero, Criminal Activity Disruption, and Controlling the Roads. Cameras: In our FY25 budget, we have included $2.5M for the installation of a city-wide camera-mesh network that will aid our MPD officers in identifying criminal activity. Curfew: The law already exists - the curfew for minors between the ages of 17 and 18 is 11pm on weekdays and 12am on weekends. For anyone under the age of 16, it's 10 pm during the week and 11pm on weekends. Code Zero: We will continue our Code Zero suppression and intervention efforts in key neighborhoods on a rolling basis. Criminal Activity Disruption: The majority of our violent crime is being committed by a small number of offenders. Using data, we will identify the repeat offenders committing these violent crimes and disrupt criminal activity and networks. Controlling the Roadways: Our MPD and TN Highway Patrol officers will strictly enforce the laws related to reckless driving throughout our community. That means excessive speeding, dangerous driving, and fraudulent tag displays.

This week, following our third successful Operation Code Zero, I thought I would share a little more about the work and the collaborative efforts.

(totals for the first three Code Zero Operations)

Code Zero is the name of an MPD effort to reduce crime and restore order in the city of Memphis. Within MPD, Code Zero represents the most serious call to action—Zero is an “all hands on deck” response. It is a coordinated effort among multiple MPD units and divisions of City government. The efforts also show our coordination with the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, Tennessee Highway Patrol, and the Shelby County DA’s office. Our MPD officers have performed three Code Zero Operations this year.

The most recent effort also involved unannounced home visits of convicted defendants on probation, using a list of high-interest probationers developed by the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office in cooperation with the Tennessee Department of Corrections. This is part of a DA Office-led initiative to do “probation sweeps” of persons considered at risk of repeat violent offenses.

Last weekend, our collaborative efforts brought 181 MPD officers and staff out for an all-hands-on-deck operation in the Tillman precinct. The 12-hour Tillman Station Operation, resulted in:

Traffic Enforcement:

• 300+ traffic stops
• 258 citations
• numerous warnings

Arrests: 48 total, including

• 13 felony warrant arrest
• 6 felony drug arrest
• 10 other felony arrests
• 19 misdemeanor arrest

Weapons seized/recovered

• 4 total
• 2 conversion devices/switches

Vehicles Recovered

• 3 stolen cars
• 1 drag racing vehicle towed

Drugs Seized

• Marijuana
• Crack cocaine
• Fentanyl

And, as always, it wasn’t all about stops and citations; it was also about community support:

• MPD officers conducted 24 business assessments to help owners identify anti-crime solutions, such as cameras, tech, and environmental strategies.
• MPD also identified areas for anti-blight and clean-up work
• City of Memphis crews followed this week with code enforcement crews, street sweeping, trash, and bulk waste pick-up, and will follow with community clean-ups organized by our partners at City Beautiful.

And while I’m talking numbers, I’d also like to shout out our Strike Team, this is the team responsible for our targeted anti-blight efforts. We hear it at every One Memphis Town Hall Meeting - the cleanliness of our city monumentally impacts our feelings of safety and peace, and we are continuing to tackle blight head-on every week. So far this year, our strike team has worked in 24 distinct zip codes, returning to some of those zip codes multiple times. The full zip code list for the year is: 38016, 38018, 38103, 38104, 38106, 38107, 38108, 38109, 38111, 38112, 38114, 38115, 38116, 38117, 38118, 38119, 38120, 38122, 38125, 38126, 38127, 38128, 38133, 38134.

But we aren’t the only ones working on blight. Some of our churches have decided to take up my challenge to Own Your Block. In my 100-day speech, I asked our entire community to own their blocks and take responsibility for the areas around their homes, businesses, or churches. And this week, we received a message from Berean Missionary Baptist Church saying they were organizing a block-wide clean-up in response to my call. I want to thank them for their commitment and call on each of you to do the same. Together, we really can create the Memphis we all deserve.

Weekly Crime Trend

The report below provides our weekly update on Part 1 Crimes. It updates daily and shows a continuous rolling 7-day total compared to the prior 7-day total. The date range for each 7-day period is shown below the table. The charts on the right show the calendar week trend, comparing 2023 to 2024. We maintain two crime dashboards, the Weekly Crime Trend report can be found here, and the Crime Analytics dashboard can be accessed here.

Our Strike Team worked in the following zip codes this week: 38104, 38109, 38114, 38115, 38116, 38117, 38118, 38126!

Social and Community Shout-outs:

It’s the most colorful time of the year! Join us tomorrow for the Memphis Pride Parade and Festival!

#MemphisPride #Memphis #MemphisPublicLibraries

Family Fun Fridays return starting next Friday, June 7, at Bert Ferguson Park! Join the City of Memphis and Memphis Parks for a night of family fun and entertainment every Friday from 6-9 p.m. through July 26 at parks throughout the city.

Activities range from swimming, video games, bounce houses, food trucks, arts and crafts, entertainment, and more! Family Fun Fridays are free. See the graphic for the full schedule.

#memphisparks #playyourpark #bestingreen #memphis #memphistn

Weekly round-up