MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Tuesday, the Memphis Police Department presented new ideas and solutions to the Memphis City Council, geared towards making area community centers and parks safer.
The presentation comes on the heels of shootings at the Douglass Community Center and Orange Mound Park, which left two teenagers and a 22-year-old dead and many more injured.
“We’re losing a lot of young kids, a lot of young people, a lot of innocent people,” said David Fason, one of many Memphis residents tired of seeing children fall victim to gun violence.
Interim Memphis Police Chief C.J. Davis approached the city council with new initiatives to try and put a stop to that.
“We want it to stop, and we’re utilizing all of our resources; our officers are putting their lives on the line,” Interim Chief Davis said. “Sometimes they’re outgunned and outmanned when it comes to addressing crime.”
The interim police chief said they are establishing a task force with schools and the Shelby County Sheriff's Office to prevent issues at schools from spilling out into parks and recreation centers.
MPD is also looking to crack down on unpermitted events like Saturday’s Orange Mound block party. MPD said staffing at the permits office will be increased and wants to have inspections at the spots where permitted events are planned. The goal is make sure more eyes are on large gatherings that could be masked as community block parties.
“That [Orange Mound] incident put community members at risk, children at risk. And the brazen display of weaponry on these particular types of scenes is just alarming,” Interim Chief Davis said.
Fason hopes to see those initiatives in place soon in Orange Mound and other parts of Memphis.
“Surround the area, try to make sure that it’s safe the best that they can,” he said.
MPD said they are also working to station more officers at community centers to increase visibility in the afternoons.
They also want to add more cameras at various parks as needed.