MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland made it clear on WREG’s Live at 9, he’s sticking with his August date of having a police Director.
“What I said the whole time is I will have a police director by August. I will live up to that promise. Promises made, promises kept,” he said. “My promise was to do a national search and get the very best person I can get. Look at the entire slate of people so whomever I pick, if from Memphis or somewhere else, I can look them in the eye and say we got the best person.”
The Mayor revealed that he should have a list of candidates by Friday.
“They are gonna send me 4 or 5 or 6 names this Friday and we are going to release that to you the media and the public, and then we will bring people in for an interview sometime in the next couple of weeks. Then I will make the selection as promised in August.”
After Sunday’s protest that saw Memphis Police taking a restrained approach to protestors who blocked the I-40 bridge, many called for Interim Director Mike Rallings to be named to the spot permanently.
It was even one of four demands pushed by a Black Lives Matter group.
The mayor also discussed the other things the group wanted with Live at 9.
Strickland said many of the things the group is asking for including more minority contract participation and more programs for youth are already being worked on.
“In the first four months of being mayor, we increased minority contracting by 17 percent,” he said.
“We have more programs in the libraries than we did before and the community centers than we did before.”
He said they are also open to more sensitivity training for police.
Mayor Strickland admitted the first meeting with Black Lives Matter and others was frustrating because so many people had things to say but didn’t get to say them.
He said it will be different next time.
“We have to treat everyone equally and we are committed to that. We have to put processes in place if it doesn`t happen we will take action.”