MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Twenty more Tennessee Highway Patrol troopers may be headed to Memphis-area interstates, Gov. Bill Lee said Wednesday.
The governor’s proposed budget would pay for the additional troopers in Shelby County with 100% state funding.
City and police officials in Memphis have been requesting more state help following a spike in shootings around the city’s interstate loop over the past two years. As of late last year, the city was approaching 100 interstate shootings in Memphis.
Former Memphis police officer Joe Patty believes the extra troopers would help MPD and Shelby County Sheriff’s deputies combat those crimes and cut down on reckless driving.
“I mean, we’ve all driven the interstate system around here, right? Patty said. “We could use every trooper we could get. It’s just another asset, another tool for local law enforcement to augment with state highway patrol. Absolutely, it’s a good thing for Memphis.”
It’s part of a package of crime-prevention programs touted by the governor, including a $150 million Violent Crime Intervention Fund for law enforcement agencies across the state to invest in evidence-based programming and resources, and $30 million to support relocation bonuses for out-of-state police officers seeking to move to Tennessee.
Lee will be in Memphis on Thursday to do a ride-along with the Tennessee Highway Patrol and
Memphis Police Department.
“I commend the Memphis Police Department for their work to protect neighborhoods across the city and look forward to our continued partnership,” Lee said in a statement.
