MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Details are still unfolding regarding an officer-involved shooting at the Goodwill Village Apartments in Memphis.
What is clear, however, is a pattern of crime and safety problems for the complex.
WREG looked at a map of recent crimes at Goodwill Village. There was burglary, robbery and assault, to name a few.
Statistics from HUD, based on Memphis Police data, show crime numbers at Goodwill Village are double that of Warren and Tulane apartments for the past three months.
According to Safeways, which tracks certain crimes at apartment complexes in Shelby County, Goodwill Village has “long had a crime incidence…substantially higher than comparable properties in the area.”
While crime decreased at the complex several years ago, Safeways stats reveal an increase since 2014.
Crime at Goodwill is up 3% since last year.
Its rate of tracked offenses per unit is 270% higher than complexes of similar size in the same police precinct.
Also, as of June, Goodwill Village had the second highest rate of Safeways tracked offenses per unit.
We learned GMF once applied for Safeways certification, but it never happened.
Harold Collins is on the Shelby County Crime Commission.
He said, “When code violations are prevalent, when lighting is not sufficient, when shrubberies are such that people can hide, then you get the potential for problems.”
He says they’re working on a new plan, Operation Safe Communities 3, which would include requirements for universal compliance at apartment complexes.
“We would like to see all apartment complexes in our city be uniform relative to shrubbery, relative to signage, lighting, security.”
Goodwill owners Global Ministries Foundation made numerous repairs at the complex after inspectors found hundreds of code violations last year.
It remains under intense scrutiny from HUD after losing funding at Warren and Tulane.
Collins added, “We know many of our citizens live in conditions where they may have no choice, and so as a responsible apartment manager and owner, it would be incumbent upon them to provide them with the best living conditions possible, whether it be working appliances and safety.”
WREG asked GMF about security and crime concerns at Goodwill. A spokesperson provided the following response,
“There is an off-duty MPD security team at Goodwill every night. Goodwill’s security team works 7 to 8 hours per night on a staggered basis, which is customary in the industry. We will be transitioning to a private security team shortly.”
GMF also says according to Safeways data, crime has dropped more than 50% from 2011 (when it acquired the property) to 2015.