MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Mayor Paul Young has hired a retired leader of the NYPD to be Memphis’ new public safety consultant.

Earlier this year, Mayor Young vowed to treat the Memphis crime problem just like the community treated the pandemic, a crisis that needed an all-hands-on-deck approach to find a solution.

“We hear our citizens loud and clear,” Young said. “They want to see action.”

Nearly seven months later, Mayor Young believes one possible solution to addressing the crime is by hiring Fausto Pichardo, the former New York Police Department’s chief of patrol, to be the city’s public safety consultant.

John Covington, the vice president of the Memphis Police Association, said that the position is needed.

“Some of the points he made publicly – wanting to approach crime are things the MPA (Memphis Police Association) and officers have thought (about) getting out there and being proactive, getting these numbers up (more officers) and targeting areas,” Covington said. “So, so far, so good.”

The position is being funded by First Horizon Bank. Mayor Young says that public-private partnerships like this are “important to getting the public safety we want in our community.”

Pichardo spent years consulting with the New Orleans Police Department as the city dealt with issues similar to Memphis and was credited with helping their new police chief.

In his new role, Pichardo will “support Chief Davis” and provide “suggestions for operational efficiency within the MPD.”

“It’s a tough job,” Covington said. “It’s not an easy time to be an officer, but I tell you these officers – their hearts are in it. They’re out there working for the citizens. We will get to where we need to get to.”

Right now, it hasn’t been determined how long he’ll serve as a consultant.