MEMPHIS, Tenn — Tuesday afternoon’s Memphis City Council vote 7-6 resulted in no recommendation for Memphis Police Chief CJ Davis to be appointed as chief under Mayor Paul Young’s administration. After the committee meeting, people on both sides had a lot to say. Some Memphians think she just needs more time.
“She’s been here 2-and-a-half years and a lot of things that were going on in our community, they were going on before she came,” Memphis NAACP Executive Director Vickie Terry said.
Others, including Councilwoman Jerri Green, feel like Chief Davis’s time is up.
“I’m looking for some perspectives and techniques that are going to take our city in a very different direction as it comes to public safety,” Green said.
The questioning of Chief Davis went back and forth for a while, all with Tyre Nichols' parents in attendance. Regardless, newly elected Mayor Paul Young thinks the right person is already in position.
“I also think that they’ll understand the urgency of which we need to act to resolve the public safety issues in our community today and that we have someone in the role right now who can help us get the safety that we deserve in our community.”
The decision to appoint Chief Davis as chief of police under Mayor Young’s leadership is still being decided. An official vote will happen on Jan. 23.
Mayor Young said he thinks more city council members will be on board by then.