MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Memphis is seeing renewed calls for criminal justice reform in the wake of the line of duty shooting death of Memphis Police Officer Joseph McKinney.
According to MPD, the shooter was 18-year-old Jaylen Lobley, who also died during the gunfire. Just a month before, he was released on his own recognizance after an arrest, in March.
“People are dying,” said Tennessee State Representative John Gillespie. “And it’s 100% preventative.”
Rep. Gillespie of Memphis has been vocal in his push for criminal justice reform in Shelby County, especially when it comes to those accused of violent crimes being let out on bond, only to be arrested later.
“It seems like every other instance of a violent crime that’s happened in Memphis over the last year and a half or so, you look at their rap sheet and what they’ve been involved in before, and you see they’ve had and interaction with the judicial system,” Rep. Gillespie said.
On Tuesday, his bill removing the consideration of a defendant’s ability to pay when determining bail amounts passed the House and will head to Governor Bill Lee’s desk to be signed into law.
Rep. Gillespie says another of his bills heading to the House floor would require 24/7 monitoring for anyone subject to pretrial monitoring and any violations would result in the suspect being arrested and taken back to jail.
Another of Rep. Gillespie’s bills set to be signed into law would change the General Sessions Court Administrative Judge in charge of managing and retaining Shelby County Judicial Commissioners.
That means 2024 will be Judge Bill Anderson’s final year in that role. Rep. Gillespie has accused Judge Anderson and multiple judicial commissioners of going against the intent of a law passed in 2023, which states only criminal or circuit court judges are able to set bail in cases involving Class A or Class B felonies. He pointed to Lobley’s bond release document from March lacking any judge’s signature as an example.
“Judge Anderson (and) several judicial commissioners, that are violating the spirit of the law, which I know is not a crime,” Rep. Gillespie said. “But that is 100 percent happening and we are seeing it and I am calling them out right now and putting them on notice.”
Talib Karim, executive director of the group STEM4US, helped lead a summit in February with other youth outreach groups to find solutions to end youth violence. He says the city needs to devote more resources to supporting parents and families.
“We have monies to lock people up but we don’t have resources to help parents to keep their children from going in the direction of being locked up,” Karim said.
He is currently working to launch a program in 2024 that would take 100 boys to a college campus over the summer for education and job training while also coming alongside to support and coach parents.
“Giving them mentoring, giving them tutoring, giving them training,” Karim said.
Karim says they are looking for close to $2.3 million from the city so they can launch their summer program.
ABC24 reached out to Judge Anderson about Rep. Gillespie’s claims. The judge stated that Lobley was not charged with any Class A or B felonies in March. He reiterated his stance that everything done by Judicial Commissioner Christopher Ingram followed proper protocol and adhered to the law.
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