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Earlier this week, we held a press conference to share some positive news on the crime suppression front. Our MPD officers, along with local, state, and federal partners, shared the success of Operation “All Off Boyd,” an MPD-led operation aimed at dismantling the stronghold of criminal activity in the area of Tate Avenue and Boyd Street.
This targeted initiative took direct aim at the notorious street gang "AOB" (All Off The Blade), whose criminal activity includes the sale of narcotics, aggravated assaults, prostitution, shootings, and homicides. On Friday, June 7, along with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP), our officers embarked on a shared mission to take down some of those involved in this criminal network and begin to restore safety to this neighborhood. The results included 10 felony arrests, 2 misdemeanor arrests, 13 handguns seized (2 stolen), 2 rifles seized, and multiple pounds of drugs.
The results speak volumes about the power of collaboration. And we must do more.
No one understands the challenges more than Chief CJ Davis, so I sat down with her for a quick one-on-one. The transcript below is pulled from our conversation, click here for the full video.
Mayor Paul Young: How do you feel about the trends and how things are going?
Chief CJ Davis: Well, we're not where we want to be, but our officers are dedicated. We have seen significant success, and consistent success. In the latter part of last year, we started seeing the decreases based on our plan. And then this year, we have really started seeing it. In every precinct, we have reductions in crime, and that's the first time we've seen that in a few years for all precincts to be down.
Mayor Paul Young: One of the programs that you all recently launched over the past few months, that I think has been very successful, is Operation Code Zero.
Chief CJ Davis: Code Zero fits within the framework of the five C's. Suppressing crime, disrupting criminal enterprises. Code Zero incorporates [crime prevention] through environmental design. It's not just about arrest and suppression. It's about addressing different environmental issues like code enforcement and blight in businesses that have problems. We're really pleased to know that the excitement about Code Zero isn't just with the Memphis Police Department. It is with code enforcement, and with the fire department, parks and recreation, and public works. We're all working together to have more of a holistic approach to crime.
Mayor Paul Young: I'm really proud of MPD and all of the city staff that are participating in these focused efforts to reduce crime and the precincts where the data is showing that it is necessary. And so, over the past week, you all did a special, more focused version of Code Zero. And it was something that took months and it was called Operation All Off Boyd. So tell us a little bit about that.
Chief CJ Davis: Those individuals that live in that corridor [of Tate and Boyd ]really felt like they were in bondage, that they couldn't really freely enjoy their neighborhood. And so our officers, investigators, along with some of our federal partners, had been working on how to build these cases. And these were serious cases. These individuals had some high-powered weapons, they had various types of drugs that were being sold in that area. And we plan to keep our eyes on them. We arrested 12 individuals from that operation. And it took a long time to really build a solid case.
Mayor Paul Young: How can cameras assist you, and what can the public do to support those efforts?
Chief CJ Davis: We're really excited about the camera network. With a city as big as Memphis, 340 square miles, that's a huge footprint. Three times the size of Atlanta. We're twice the size of Detroit. People don't realize that the geographical footprint is huge here. It's difficult for our officers to cover that much territory and have eyes on every corner, every neighborhood.
So, cameras are a force multiplier. They give us the ability to put one officer viewing a camera at ten different locations. And so we hope that we can continue to register cameras, especially individuals and residents who have ring cameras. We don't want access to your cameras. We just want to know that you have a ring camera. So that if an incident were to occur in your neighborhood, we could look at that list to say, “We have an individual that has a camera registered in this location.” And that camera could potentially have very important intelligence information that would give us a lead to to whoever committed the crime.
Mayor Paul Young: Can we talk about staffing levels? How do you feel about the future of the force?
Chief CJ Davis: I feel good. We have been really consistent with recruiting. We beefed up our recruiting, and it's even more aggressive right now. we have approximately 1940 officers that are active right now. And then we have somewhere around 65 or so at the academy. Our sworn numbers are a little over 2000. So, feeling good about recruitment.
Mayor Paul Young: Thank you all for all the hard work you and the team are doing. We know that our officers are running into situations that many would run away from. We're so proud of them. Is there anything else that you want to share or that you think we need to touch on before we close?
Chief CJ Davis: Well, as I said, we're proud of our officers. They come to work every day. They know the challenges that they face, but they are the best in blue. They really are. We have so many officers who do things outside of the norm, like taking care of homeless families and mentoring young people. Outside of the uniforms, they are just like any other neighbor. And so we're just really proud to know that our officers are standing up to the challenge and committed to the community. We're constantly working on how we get better, taking good to great.
(watch the full video here.)
Happy Father's Day!
 I would also like to take a moment to say Happy Father's Day to all of the fathers in our community. Please know the power of your presence. Your influence can change lives, and your attention and dedication can alter the course of the next generation.
Click here to see a message from my family to my father, the late Bishop William Young.
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, 38106, 38111, 38114, 38115, 38118, 38119, 38120, 38122, 38016
Social and Community Shout-outs:
 Memphis Regional Pedestrian & Bicycle Greenprint Plan - SURVEY is OPEN!
The Memphis Urban Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) has kicked off the development of the Memphis Regional Pedestrian & Bicycle Greenprint Plan. The plan will build upon the vision and recommendations from the MPO’s Walk & Roll Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan and the Mid-South Regional Greenprint and Sustainability Plan to advance active transportation in the region. A survey is open to share your thoughts on how you walk and bike in the Mid-South and what improvements you would like to see!
Click HERE or on the image below to access the survey and find out more!
 Cordova Branch Library hosts the Third Annual Juneteenth Fest on Saturday, June 15 at 11am featuring local artists. See full details here.
 Check out FREE weekly yoga classes for all skill levels at Audubon Park. For dates and times, see full details here.
The Juneteenth observance may impact your trash service. The City of Memphis Solid Waste crews will not pick up trash on Wednesday, June 19. If your regular trash pick-up is on Wednesday, trash will be picked up on Thursday. Learn more here.
Weekly round-up
 Police Community Outreach. 
click here for full post!
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