MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Cerelyn CJ Davis has only been police chief in Memphis less than a year, but she has gotten several important and costly lessons on the crime problems plaguing the Bluff City. Two of those lessons have been personal – and one has hit home, literally.
You may recall that in January, Davis’ city issued handgun was stolen from her car in the parking lot of a Cordova business. Then, last week, thieves stole appliances from her new East Memphis home – before she could get settled in.
This week, we learned two juveniles, both 17, have been charged in the theft of Davis’ gun – which has not been recovered. What’s more, both suspects have ties to a Memphis street gang that is responsible for numerous crimes, including auto theft, burglary and several shootings.
Davis has acknowledged the mistake of leaving her gun unsecured in her vehicle. And it’s clear that she has a more complete picture of what other Memphians face on a regular basis – automobile break-ins, home burglaries, and shootings.
We certainly hope that Davis is not having second thoughts about leaving the relatively safe environs of Durham, North Carolina, to take over the much tougher assignment running the police department in Memphis. I don’t think she is. But she knows by now that fighting crime here requires resolve and a determination not to make it easy from the criminals to succeed.