The Department of Justice announced Wednesday it will launch an “independent and comprehensive assessment” of the Memphis Police Department to examine its community policing strategies and use of deadly force.
The department said the review is voluntary, and is being conducted at the request of Memphis Police Director Michael Rollins and Mayor Jim Strickland. But U.S. Attorney Edward Stanton III said at a press conference early Wednesday afternoon that he recommended the review in April.
The Justice Department’s Community Oriented Policing Services unit will evaluate and recommend improvements to the department’s current policies and procedures. The review does not appear to be related to any specific incident of police violence.
“The police department has entered into this willingly and their cooperation is essential,” COPS Chief Nobel Wray said, adding that multiple police agencies nationwide are undergoing similar reviews.
Wray explained that the review will take two years, and a public report will be released in the next six-eight months on the progress made so far. That report “will have recommendations specific to Memphis. About six months later, we will release a progress report, and six months later we’ll release an assessment at the end of the process,” Wray added.
Strickland said that though “the great majority of Memphis has trust in MPD,” he wants the “trust of every one of our citizens.”
The Memphis Police Department has nine precincts and roughly 2,100 officers.
