MEMPHIS, Tenn. — ABC24’s Scott Madaus sat down with Memphis Mayor Paul Young to talk about the state of the city and solutions to combat crime.
“The crime situation certainly is hard to watch," said Mayor Young. "It’s heartbreaking, and it makes me want to continue to do more.”
Mayor Paul Young said combating violent crime in the city is a two-pronged strategy starting with the Memphis Police Department making sure they have all of the resources they need to be able to capture and arrest offenders.
The second part of the strategy is continued work with the criminal justice system, which is crucial to making sure those who are charged with the most violent offenses stay in jail, Mayor Young said
“We want to do all that we can to make sure they are getting off the streets," Mayor Young said.
But the streets in many parts of Memphis remain challenged by crime. On Monday night, MPD responded to a shooting at the Raleigh Community Center that injured four people, three of them critically.
“We would love to see guns outlawed in parks and public spaces like community centers. It is something to have dialogues with the state about," Mayor Young said.
Mayor Young said that he’s in contact with mayors of major cities from across the country, such as Durham, North Carolina; Jackson, Mississippi and St. Louis, Missouri, collaborating on different ways to combat crime.
But he said combating crime in Memphis starts with the people.
“For every criminal, there is someone that’s connected to them. There’s a parent, there’s a neighbor, there’s a church member, there’s a colleague, there’s a friend. So we have to make sure that we are keeping the dialogue open with all the residents of our city because what we need is a collaborative mission where everybody in our community is on the same page around stopping crime," Mayor Young said.
Mayor Young also said the first line of defense is inside the homes of our youth, with parents identifying if their child has a weapon in their room.
Mayor Young also spoke about MPD Interim Police Chief CJ Davis. Young said he’s still optimistic despite a 7-6 Memphis City Council vote not to recommend Davis for reappointment back in January.
The mayor believes that failed vote centered around concerns about the perceived lack of transparency in the aftermath of Tyre Nichols' death.
“My hope is that once we get past budget season, the council will be willing to remove the item from the table and take it back and vote for it," Mayor Young said.
Young said he has had conversations with all council members about the issue, and he's confident the strides that have already been made by the interim chief since January will speak for themselves.
“My hope is that they see the progress that we are making as a community," Mayor Young said.
Mayor Young said Chief Davis has developed plans and executed them effectively. The plans include Operation Code 0: flooding hot spot crime areas with additional officers.
“We are making a difference in communities, and there’s more to come," Mayor Young said.