Our Weekly Update

Friends,

Remember last month, when we took you inside how we’re using data to improve city services? Well, this month’s data set came in this week, and I wanted to briefly share a couple of notes.

First, we’re continuing to improve our 911 performance. We answered 911 calls in an average of 32.46 seconds in September. That’s 34 percent faster than the same month a year ago.

It’s still not living up to our goal, which is the national standard of 20 seconds or less. But it represents a major decline from last December, when the average was 59.7 seconds.

Our success rate -- the number of calls that meets that 20-seconds-or-less goal -- improved to 63.4 percent in September. That’s 15 percentage points better than the same month a year ago.

Also, in the first few months of Alexis Pugh’s leadership of Memphis Animal Services, we’re seeing continued performance improvements. Our live release rate improved to 65 percent in September, up 11 percentage points from 2015. Last month’s rate marked the fourth consecutive month that number has improved from its counterpart in 2015.

Euthanasia fell to 28 percent in September, marking the third straight month of improvement -- and sixth straight month of having a lower number than in 2015. Our September 2016 number was 13 percentage points better than 2015.

To everyone involved in these improvements, I say, simply, thank you.

Not all of the data was great, which means we have opportunities to improve. To inspect this month’s entire data set, click here.

We welcome the DOJ’s COPS program: I’m sure you saw this week’s news that the U.S. Department of Justice’s COPS (Community Oriented Policing Services) program will conduct a review of the Memphis Police Department. Please know that we invited them here and it’s a collaborative review -- not an investigation. We are doing this all in the interest of strengthening our already strong police department.

Our Community Conversations continue: The next meeting, which follows a successful event Tuesday night in Frayser, will be hosted at the Riverview Community Center by the Riverview Community Development Corporation. It’s Wednesday, from 5:30 to 7 p.m.

Highlighting the Memphis Open: At an event earlier this week, I declared Feb. 11-19 to be Tennis Week in Memphis -- and it’s not just because I enjoy playing tennis and love attending the Memphis Open. We actually celebrated opportunities for young people.

Thanks to a partnership between the Memphis Open, John P. Freeman Optional School, BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee and USTA Tennessee, some 500 young people will get the opportunity to attend the Memphis Open for free upon completion of the tennis curriculum in their physical education classes. That’s a great deal, and I appreciate what these partners are doing for our young people.

Clock is ticking: We’ve received over 1,800 applications to join the Memphis Police Department since June, and we’re hoping for more. The next deadline, though, is in one week! If you or someone you know is looking for a rewarding career in law enforcement, visit joinmpd.com.

Introducing Memphis 3.0: We'll talk about this in more detail in a future email, but I encourage you to get to know more about our comprehensive plan, which we're calling Memphis 3.0. Learn more from this article in The Commercial Appeal, and also visit the Memphis 3.0 website, where you can take an initial survey. You'll hear a lot about Memphis 3.0 in the next couple of years, as it is a key part of how we're building our future as a city.

Yours,