Internal Memphis police documents say former assistant chief was 'terminated' | On the Docket
Weeks after Memphis Mayor Paul Young said now-former Assistant Chief Shawn Jones was no longer with the Memphis Police Department, an internal document shows Jones was "terminated," though the language may not add much more clarity to the departure.
In the wake of Jones' departure, interim MPD Chief Cerelyn "C.J." Davis, alongside Deputy Chief Joe Oakley, presented data that indicated crime is down through the first half of the year compared to the same time frame last year.
Later that day, the Memphis City Council approved a ballot referendum that — if passed by Memphians in the November election — would establish local gun control laws.
And, in a blow to Memphis' activist community, local police reform activist Chelsea Glass — part of the group of Memphians who pushed reform ordinances after Tyre Nichols was beaten by police — died Sunday after a long battle with a respiratory illness.
Internal document shows former MPD assistant chief was 'terminated'
Jones was "terminated" from his position with MPD, an internal document obtained by The Commercial Appeal confirmed.
Though Young said during a July 8 press conference that it was his decision that Jones was no longer with the department, it was not clear if Jones had been fired or if his departure was mutually agreed upon.
The document obtained by The CA, called a "special order," is distributed weekly within the department and shows all personnel changes that took place over the previous week. Some of those changes include actions showing officers that "retired," "resigned" or "terminated."
Jones was the only officer in the special order to be listed as "terminated."
"Mr. Jones served in an appointed position," MPD said in an email statement, from a city spokesperson, responding to questions from The CA about if Jones was fired "The mayor ended his appointment. According to MPD, there is no end of employment code for the end of an appointment, only terminated, resigned, retired for commissioned officers."
Crime down through first half of the year, MPD says
MPD on Tuesday morning presented data that points to reported crime being down through the first half of the year.
Though it was compared to crime data from the same time frame last year, which saw near record-highs across many categories, the 17.5% drop across all part 1 crimes — major violent and property crimes — showed lower homicide, car break-in and car theft incidents being reported.
The drop, however, still leaves Memphis crime higher than past years, like 2022 and 2021.
Compared to 2023, there were 20 fewer homicides reported to MPD, along with 13 fewer rapes, 22 fewer aggravated assaults and 386 fewer robberies. Car thefts have also seen a steep decline in reported incidents, according to the data, with a nearly 32% decrease from this time last year. Theft from motor vehicle incidents have decreased by 21%.
Memphis police, criminal justice reform activist dies
Glass, one of the founding members of local police reform and criminal justice advocacy group Decarcerate Memphis, died July 21 after a yearslong battle with a rare respiratory illness brought on by COVID-19 complications.
Memphis' activist community took to social media in the wake of her passing, remembering her fondly for her activism as well as the bright attitude she brought to her friends.
Glass, in the wake of Nichols' death, worked alongside Memphis City Councilmembers to pass reform ordinances that would bar Memphis police from pulling people over for low-level traffic offenses, commonly referred to as pretextual traffic stops. She was also part of the push for a data dashboard that would show who police are pulling over, and a ban on conducting traffic stops with unmarked vehicles.
The pretextual stop ban, though passed unanimously by the city council aside from the two councilmembers who missed the vote, was later overturned by the Tennessee General Assembly.
Glass is survived by her two children and her husband.
Memphis City Council passes ballot referendum for gun control
The Memphis City Council on Tuesday approved, once again, a set of ballot questions that could establish local gun control legislation. The referendum questions were initially passed last July and were set to appear on the Aug. 1 ballot, but a filing deadline was missed and the council had to re-pass the referendum for it to appear on the November ballot.
The referendum would amend the city charter and will ask three gun control-related questions of Memphis residents.
The first question focuses on handguns, and asks voters if they would like to see the city charter amended to not allow people to carry handguns in the city without a valid handgun permit; to not all people to carry, store or travel with a handgun inside a vehicle in city limits without a valid permit; and to make it illegal for someone to store a firearm or ammunition within a motor vehicle without hiding it, and locking it, within a trunk, glove box or a locked container attached to the car.
The second question asks Memphians if they would "find and declare that the proliferation and use of assault weapons pose a threat to the health, safety and security" of Memphis citizens; if they would make it illegal to openly or concealed carry assault rifles within Memphis with the exception of those with valid handgun permits on privately owned property or a shooting range; to ban the commercial sale of assault rifles; and to exempt law enforcement and armed forces from the ordinance.
The second question allows pre-existing rifle owners to own rifles but limits their public carrying.
The third question would create an extreme order of protection — often referred to as a red flag law — policy in the city charter, allowing law enforcement, a family member, a member of someone's household, a significant other, a healthcare provider or school official to block the purchase of a firearm if probable cause of the firearm purchaser posing "a significant danger or extreme risk of personal injury or death to the respondent or another person."
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Latest in Memphis' biggest cases
Though not appearing in court this past week, attorneys for the four remaining former Memphis police officers criminally charged with violating Nichols’ civil rights have been filing motion after motion ahead of an Aug. 5 pretrial hearing.
Many of the motions ask Judge Mark S. Norris to exclude certain testimonies that federal prosecutors provided notice they would introduce during trial. Some of those motions are sealed.
The unsealed motions ask Norris to exclude use of force testimony and testimony from Nichols’ treating physicians. The motions also request evidentiary hearings.
The sealed motions ask Norris to exclude “improper pharmacology testimony,” toxicologist testimony and testimony from the medical examiner. Like the unsealed motions, these also request evidentiary hearings.
In the federal civil case brought by Nichols' family, attorneys for the City of Memphis have requested that the case be pushed back a few months. The trial is currently set to begin in March, but attorneys are now asking for it to begin in summer 2025, citing the increasingly long criminal cases.
Attorneys representing the Nichols family joined in the motion for a new scheduling order, which faced no opposition from any of the other parties to the lawsuit.
On the local court front, the Memphis Police Association, the City of Memphis and a group of more than 70 officers are slated to argue a motion to intervene in Shelby County Circuit Court. The motion is part of an ongoing battle over the city's new second lieutenant rank, which the MPA has staunchly opposed.
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This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis crime down in 2024, police reform activist Chelesea Glass dies
