The Memphis Police Department is the

law enforcement agency A law enforcement agency (LEA) is any government agency responsible for the enforcement of the laws. Jurisdiction LEAs which have their ability to apply their powers restricted in some way are said to operate within a jurisdiction. LEAs ...

of the city of

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

, United States.

Organization

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 Precinct may refer to: * An electoral precinct * A police precinct * A religious precinct * A shopping precinct or shopping mall ** A Pedestrian zone Places * A neighborhood, in Australia * A unit of public housing in Singapore * A former elec ...

in the Memphis area. The Chief of Police is appointed by the mayor and

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by the

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. Officers are issued the

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P229R DAK .40 S&W as the sidearm of choice.

Administrative Services

Administrative Services 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.

Investigative Services

Memphis Police Department vehicles Memphis TN 06

*Domestic Violence Bureau (DV):Domestic Violence Bureau Handles all assault related incidents involving domestic violence, including Burglary DV. *Homicide Bureau:Homicide Bureau Handles all deaths (homicides, suicides, natural, accidental) regardless of the nature and kidnapping/abductions for ransom. *Missing Persons Bureau: Missing Persons Bureau Handles all investigations involving the disappearance of all adults and juveniles, including runaways, occurring within the jurisdiction of the Memphis Police Department. *Sex Crimes/Juvenile Abuse Bureau:Sex Crimes/Juvenile Abuse Bureau Handles all sex related offenses, all types of child abuse and neglect, stalking, exhibitionists and

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s. It is one bureau with two separate locations and operates different hours. *General Investigative Bureau: Handles burglary, Robbery, Assaults, vehicle theft, larceny and incidents where property theft is the principal crime involved. *Felony Response Bureau: This is an After-hours investigative bureau with two shifts (4p-12a and 12a-8a). *Support Units

Uniform Patrol

*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 *Union Station (Traffic Division)

Rank structure and insignia

The Memphis Police Department uses these ranks: Assistant Chief insignia is 4 stars arranged in a diamond pattern.

History

The following are historical moments within the Memphis Police Department. * 1827: The Memphis Police Department was founded. * 1878: The 55 man police department was devastated by the

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epidemic when all 55 officers were stricken, with 10 officers dying as a result. * 1927: The city's murder rate was 69.3 per 100,000 population, the highest in the country. In comparison, Chicago, then controlled by

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, had a murder rate of only 13.3 per 100,000. * 1933:

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was captured by MPD officers Thomas Waterson and Sergeant William Raney. * 1948: First

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

officers hired. * 1968:

Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr., an African-American clergyman and civil rights leader, was fatally shot at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1968, at 6:01 p.m. CST. He was rushed to St. Joseph's Hospital, where he died at 7 ...

in Memphis, sparking riots and curfews across the city. * 1973: The department witnessed the formation of two

police unions The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and ...

—the Afro-American Police Association and the Memphis Police Association, a bargaining unit representing patrolmen and sergeants. * 1978: The police department went on an eight-day strike in a labor dispute with city leaders. * 1988: James Ivy became the city's first African-American police director. * 1992: Eddie B. Adair was named first African-American chief of police * 1992: Sergeant Jim Nichols, assigned to MPD Research & Development, formed a non-profit organization that raised money to allow the Memphis Police Department 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 email as well as other administrative needs relating to law enforcement. *2017: New Police Headquarters at 170 North Main Street, Memphis TN *2021: First female African-American chief of police in Memphis

Misconduct

In December 2013, Officer Matthew Ashmore was arrested after child pornography was found on his telephone. In September 2013, Officer Alex Beard was allowed to 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 siren, he struck another car, killing a woman and her daughter. Beard was sentenced to six months in jail and six years on probation, but will not serve the entire six months, since he is eligible for parole. In August 2013, Officer Vance Stacks was convicted of drunk driving and weapons charges related to a traffic accident in 2011. In July 2013, Officer Jason Webb was fired when he was charged with soliciting sex from an underage prostitute. 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. In early July 2014, hundreds of policemen called in sick apparently to protest the city reducing pay by 4.6% while giving millions to private entities. On July 5, 181 called in sick. The following Monday, 550 did not come to work. In late 2014, press reports indicated that the department had eleven thousand untested

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kits on hand. In 2018, MPD was sued by the

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Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

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

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to spy on activists participating in the

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movement, one of them being

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and founder of MLK50

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. Judge

Jon Phipps McCalla Jon Phipps McCalla (born 1947) is a senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee. Education and career Born in Memphis, Tennessee, McCalla received a Bachelor of Science degree fro ...

ruled that MPD was guilty of violating the decree. In late 2020, retired MPD homicide investigator Eric Kelly was charged with having a sexual relationship with a murder suspect.

Mission

"Our purpose is to create and maintain public safety in the City of Memphis. We do so with focused attention on preventing and reducing crime, enforcing the law, and apprehending criminals."

Vision

"To create and maintain for the City of Memphis an environment of public safety recognized for its compassion and responsiveness to the needs, rights and expectations of all citizens, employees and visitors."

Demographics

The following is the breakdown of the rank and file of the MPD. Distribution by race *African American/Black: 52% *White: 47% *Hispanic: 1% Distribution by gender *Male: 84% *Female: 16%

Popular culture

The Investigative Services bureau is often featured in the A&E reality television series ''

The First 48 ''The First 48'' is an American documentary/news magazine television series on A&E filmed in various cities in the United States, offering an insider's look at the real-life world of homicide investigators. While the series often follows the in ...

''. The department's women of the Uniform Patrol division is also featured in the

TLC TLC may refer to: Arts and entertainment Television * ''TLC'' (TV series), a 2002 British situational comedy television series that aired on BBC2 * TLC (TV network), formerly the Learning Channel, an American cable TV network ** TLC (Asia), an A ...

reality television series ''

Police Women of Memphis ''Police Women of Memphis'' is the third of TLC's '' Police Women'' reality documentary series, which follows four female members of the Memphis Police Department in Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is t ...

''. A fictional version of their General Assignment Bureau, is the setting for the

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drama ''

Memphis Beat ''Memphis Beat'' is an American crime comedy-drama television series created by Joshua Harto and Liz W. Garcia that aired on TNT from June 22, 2010 to August 16, 2011, with a total of 20 episodes spanning two seasons. It was produced by Smokeho ...

''.

References

External links

Official website
{{coord, 35.1496, -90.0505, type:landmark, display=title Municipal police departments of Tennessee 1827 establishments in Tennessee Government of Memphis, Tennessee