Memphis Police Department

Memphis Police Department
Abbreviation MPD

Patch of the Memphis Police Department

Badge of the Memphis Police Department
Agency overview
Formed 1827
Annual budget $230 million
Legal personality Governmental: Government agency
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdiction* City of Memphis in the state of Tennessee, USA
Legal jurisdiction Memphis, Tennessee
General nature
Operational structure
Headquarters 201 Poplar Avenue, Memphis, TN 38103
Officers 2,142 (Dec 2014)
Agency executives
  • Michael Rallings, Interim Director of Police
  • Mike Ryall, Deputy Director
Bureaus
Facilities
Precincts
Website
http://www.memphispolice.org/
Footnotes
* Divisional agency: Division of the country, over which the agency has usual operational jurisdiction.

The Memphis Police Department is the law enforcement agency of the City of Memphis, Tennessee.

Organization

The Memphis Police Department (MPD) provides police services to the citizens of Memphis in a 315 square-mile area with 2,142 officers. There are nine precincts in the Memphis area.[1] The Director is appointed by the mayor and ratified by the city council.[2]

Administrative Services

Provides services that enable the other programs to effectively respond to service calls. It provides security services; warrant, subpoena and property processing; radio and telephone communications; inspection of police services; and management of information and human resources. Additional functions include the reporting and recording of crimes and incidents and personnel development.

Investigative Services

MPD D.U.I. Unit vehicle

Uniform Patrol

2007 Memphis Dodge Charger

Rank structure and insignia

The Memphis Police Department uses these sworn personnel ranks:

Title Insignia
Director
Deputy Director
Deputy Chief
Colonel
Lt. Colonel
Major
Lieutenant
Sergeant
Police Officer/Detective

History

The following are historical moments within the Memphis Police Department.[3]

In Memphis the Directors of Police Services are appointed and serve at the pleasure of the Mayor of Memphis.

'''''''HISTORY OF DIRECTORS OF POLICE SERVICES:

General Hubbard, retired MCRD, Buddy Chapman, Jack Holt, James Ivy (first black Director of MPD), Melvin Burgess, Walter Winfrey, Bill Oldham (Interim - never appointed), Walter Crews, James Bolden, Larry Godwin, Toney Armstrong, Michael Rallings (Interim)

Prior to Directors of Police, Memphis Police Department had Chief of Police, which was a Civil Service Protected Rank: CHIEFS of Police:

Jones (Mickey), Price (Bill), McDonald, Lux (Henry),

Misconduct

In December 2013, Officer Matthew Ashmore was arrested after child pornography was found on his telephone.[5]

In September 2013, Officer Alex Beard was allowed to plead guilty to reduced charges as a result of reckless behavior. In August 2012, while driving his official vehicle at more than ninety miles an hour without lights or siren, he struck another car, killing a woman and her daughter. Beard was sentenced to six months in jail and six years on probation, but will not serve the entire six months, since he is eligible for parole. [6]

In August 2013, Officer Vance Stacks was convicted of drunk driving and weapons charges related to a traffic accident in 2011. [7]

In July 2013, Officer Jason Webb was fired when he was charged with soliciting sex from an underage prostitute.[8]

In June 2013, Officer Brandon Berry was charged with forcing men to have sex with him in exchange for not arresting them on outstanding warrants.[9]

In early July 2014, hundreds of policemen called in sick apparently to protest increased employee contributions to their health care plans. On July 5, 181 called in sick. The following Monday, 308 did not come to work.[10]

In late 2014, press reports indicated that the department had eleven thousand untested rape kits on hand. [11]

Mission

"Our purpose is to create and maintain public safety in the City of Memphis. We do so with focused attention on preventing and reducing crime, enforcing the law, and apprehending criminals." [12]

Vision

"To create and maintain for the City of Memphis an environment of public safety recognized for its compassion and responsiveness to the needs, rights and expectations of all citizens, employees and visitors."[12]

Demographics

The following is the breakdown of the rank and file of the MPD.[13]

Distribution by race

Distribution by gender

See also: The First 48

The Investigative Services bureau is often featured in the A&E reality television series The First 48.

The department's women of the Uniform Patrol division is also featured in the TLC reality television series Police Women of Memphis.

A fictional version of their General Assignment Bureau, is the setting for the TNT drama Memphis Beat.

See also

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Law enforcement in Memphis, Tennessee.
  1. "City of Memphis Police Services". cityofmemphis.org. Accessed July 16, 2016.
  2. Taylor, Eryn. "City of Memphis releases names of police director candidates". WREG.com. July 15, 2016. Accessed July 16, 2016.
  3. "Memphis Police Department History". Memphispolice.org. Retrieved 2012-01-29.
  4. One Summer; America 1927, by Bill Bryson, Doubleday 2013, Kindle Location 6257
  5. Memphis officer held over child porn on phone, police say, by ArkansasOnline, 27 December 2013
  6. Family devastated by former MPD officer's plea deal, by Nick Kenney, 11 September 2013, WMC-TV
  7. Former Memphis police officer convicted on DUI, gun charges, by Lawrence Buser, The Commercial Appeal, 12 August 2013
  8. Police Officer Charged With Soliciting A Minor Has Long List Of Troubles, by April Thompson, 15 July 2013, WREG.com
  9. Former officer charged with forcing fugitives to perform sexual acts, by Jason Miles, 21 June 2013, WMC-TV
  10. 308 Tennessee police officers call in sick in apparent protest, by the Associated Press, 7 July 2014
  11. New York Initiative to help Other Cities Clear Rape-Kit Backlogs; by Tatinana Scholossberg, 14 November 2014, New York Times
  12. 1 2 "Memphis 2008 Annual Report - Page B" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-01-29.
  13. "Memphis Police Department At a Glance". Memphispolice.org. 2011-02-11. Retrieved 2012-01-29.

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 10/25/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.