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CJ Davis named interim Memphis Police chief, but what does this really mean?

There is no timeline on when or if City Council will vote on her reappointment.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. —

On Tuesday, Jan. 23, the Memphis City Council was supposed to vote on making CJ Davis the Memphis Police Chief again. But the vote was tabled, and Mayor Paul Young named Davis the interim police chief. 

Davis’s official title changed, but nothing else did. As interim, she will have the same powers and responsibilities. She will also remain one of the highest paid law enforcement officers in the United States. 

In 2023, Davis was paid about $280,000. In comparison, the highest-ranked officer in the New York City Police Department had a salary of about $242,000 in 2022. City Council Chairman JB Smiley Jr. said the City Council is the only body with the power to adjust her salary. 

“Only at a particular time, and that's during budget," said Smiley. "If that's an issue for the people of Memphis, voice those concerns so that the council can take it into consideration and we can make the appropriate adjustments, if necessary,” 

This comes after a previous city council committee meeting where members voted 7-6 to not recommend Davis for reappointment. 

There has been division on whether to reappoint now Interim Memphis Police Chief Davis or move on to someone else, largely because of a perceived lack of transparency after the death of Tyre Nichols and a record year for homicides. 

District 3 Councilwoman Pearl Eva Walker supports Davis and does not believe she should solely be held accountable for the actions of those officers.

“I think that people are just really overall fed up as it relates to the crime in the city, so she is the chief. That’s how a lot of people look at it, that she is the one who is supposed to solely be accountable for all of this. But you already know that we had a lot of these challenges when she became police chief in 2021,” said Walker. 

Walker highlighted some of Davis’s accomplishments, like hiring over 400 new officers and achieving a decrease in crime in all nine precincts. She believes Davis should get a chance to finish other initiatives that she started as well. 

"I'm looking forward to the repeat offender dashboard that will be ready in the next week or so. I’m just looking forward to that and what it’s going to mean for our overall public safety initiative,” said Walker.  

Chairman Smiley voted against Davis's reappointment, but said he agreed with the decision to table the vote and give Davis an opportunity to rebuild trust within the community. Smiley said the Memphis City Council will take their time before making any long-term decisions on MPD’s top cop.

“Public safety is an issue that should be taken seriously. So, what I’m doing and what city council is doing, we’re talking to the people in the community. We’re talking to the Memphis Police Officer’s Association,” said Smiley. 

Smiley said it will take seven votes to get the item to vote on Davis’s reappointment back on the agenda. 

It’s unclear if Mayor Young will initiate a search for another police chief appointee. 

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