SHELBY COUNTY, Tenn. — Like a lot of Memphians, Leslie Taylor and Norman Blake were fed up with crime in the Bluff City. They’ve decided to take matters into their own hands, combining expertise to craft Memphis Crime Beat, a watchdog organization trying to take a data-driven approach to crime reduction.
“Our goal with Memphis Crime Beat is very simple. We just want to reduce crime and make our city safer for all citizens,” Taylor said. “There are amazing organizations and people that are working on this problem, but their strategy isn't aligned and they’re not working together, so they’re either contradicting efforts, overlapping efforts or just unaware that other people are doing work that could benefit them.”
Now, they’ve grown into a much larger operation with 16 volunteers, but they’re still hoping for 60 more for their Court Watch program, in which people who would sit in on all court sessions and take notes on judges and cases. Their goal is to track exactly how long it takes from the time someone is charged to when the case is closed.
“What we’ve learned is that really, there’s probably not more than 5 or 6 hundred people that are creating so much of the crime that are doing it. There ought to be a way we can contain it and put these people where they need to be,” Blake said.
Taylor and Blake are the ones who brought the Omaha 360 plan, which reduced gun crime by half in that city, to Mayor Paul Young’s attention. Such a plan is being brought to Memphis as well.
“Always look at the data. When used properly, it tells the truth,” Blake said.
If you don’t want to volunteer, there are still ways you can get involved. Taylor and Blake suggest reading to a child just for one hour a week, as literacy can make the difference in a kid’s life.
For more information on Memphis Crime Beat, click here.