A letter from the District Attorney:

As the year ends, I thought I’d depart from the usual Newsletter format to write to you directly with my reflections on 2023.

The year began with a tragic incident which shocked the nation. Tyre Nichols’ killing brought the attention of the nation and the world to Memphis.  To the surprise of many, our office was able to quickly but thoroughly investigate the case and decide on charges, within three weeks.  MPD was commendably eager to respond to intense public interest by releasing the video of the incident.  By being able to announce charges before the release of the video, our office was able to prevent a violent response—both here in Memphis and in the many other cities around the nation with large-scale protests.  Nationally recognized civil rights attorney Ben Crump famously said that our office’s handling of the case was “a blueprint for the nation.”  

I believe that if there is any silver lining to come from this very dark cloud, it’s that this incident has highlighted the need for systemic reform, not just in Memphis but around the country.  One outcome is the U.S. Justice Department’s launching of a civil rights “pattern and practice” investigation into the MPD.  We should expect findings in 2024.  Meanwhile, our office announced a new policy of quickly publishing video from officer-involved shootings, faster than had been the practice, in the interest of transparency.  Expect to see more such transparency in the coming year. 

As the year wore on, so did the rise in crime which has been plaguing Memphis for many years.  Violent crime rose steadily in Memphis over the past decade, to the point where in the last few years before I took office, it was No. 1 in the nation per capita for violent crime.  That trend sadly continued in 2023, including a sharp rise in auto thefts and auto break-ins.  The former was caused largely by several models of cars which were easy to steal with an electronic hack; the latter, by lax Tennessee gun laws which allowed the unsafe storage of guns in cars, which is what many of these auto burglars are looking for.  There was hope earlier this year for some relief from the State Legislature, thanks to a special August session which was supposed to be about sensible gun regulation.  Unfortunately, that did not happen. 

Our office responded to the challenge in a number of ways.  Early on in the year, we adopted a new policy making it harder to dismiss Nonfatal Shootings like Aggravated Assault and Attempted Murder, as well as a policy rejecting Straight Probation as a result when anyone points a gun at another person and pulls the trigger.  Partnering with MPD in “Operation Broken Bottles,” we broke the back of an organized “smash and grab” ring, racking up a total of 27 indictments so far. Later, I hosted a Public Safety Summit, gathering together law enforcement, mayors, and legislators to come up with 5 Consensus Priority Strategies on crime. And just this week, we launched a new “Fast Track” initiative on violent crime, identifying certain priority offenses for speedier resolution, quicker notification of victims, more intense investigations, and a tougher stance on bail.  

These efforts can help, but no one agency can tackle this problem alone.  This is an “all hands on deck” moment. All seven municipalities have to work together. And the public plays perhaps the most important role.  The community needs to cooperate with law enforcement: provide tips, report crimes, serve as witnesses.  Together, we can bend the curve on crime and make our community safer. 

There’s more to tell about 2023, and more to do in 2024. Coming in January, we’ll publish an Annual Report to discuss our office’s activities in my first year in office (Sept. 2022-Sept. 2023).  In the meantime, I wish you the happiest of holidays.  See you next year. 

Thanks for reading, 

Steve Mulroy

District Attorney