MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Memphis leaders said they’ve finally come to a consensus on police reform.
Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland and Memphis Police Director Michael Rallings said after four weeks of meeting with clergy and activists, they have agreed on five areas of police reform.
“I want you to know that the work in the area of police reform is not over,” Strickland said.
Memphis Police will now follow 8 Can’t Wait, which includes banning chokeholds, requiring officers to give a warning before shooting and also requiring officers to intervene and report if another officer is taking part in brutality or misconduct.
“It’s also been requested that we ban no-knock warrants, and that has also been done,” Rallings said.
Officials said they also made improvements to the Civilian Law Enforcement Review Board (CLERB) by providing additional funding for training. The city has also reviewed giving CLERB subpoena power.
As of right, Mayor Stickland said there is a state law prohibiting that.
“Our current CLERB board can ask the Memphis City Council to use the city council’s subpoena power,” Strickland said.
The city said it is also looking to partner with community activists to strengthen implicit-bias and cultural awareness and diversity training.
“Law enforcement is not perfect, and we fully acknowledge that,” Rallings said. “We know that there is a lot of work to do, but we are fully committed to doing this very hard work.”
The city said it’s also started posting opportunities for the community to serve different boards, particularly civil service and CLERB, on its website.
