Downtown Crime: What’s the plan to stop it
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Lighting, litter, blight and more officers. There is a long list of suggestions on how to curb the increasing crime in downtown Memphis.
WREG Investigators have been digging deeper into mounting concerns, and we ask what’s being done.
The question is only getting louder. This sign plastered on a storefront on South Main underneath glass shattered by bullets.
“People are scared in general. It’s not just downtown thing. In our city as a whole, we have seen far too many negative incidents,” Mayor-elect Paul Young said.
Man shot in chest on South Main in Downtown Memphis
Young said he’s in regular communication with Memphis police and other community and justice partners on how to turn it around when he takes office.
“It’s timeout for people out here terrorizing our neighborhoods and community, because that’s what has been happening,” Young said.
As Downtown Memphis Commission president, they got the University of Memphis Public Safety Institute to look at the problems downtown and find out what needs to change.
A team spent the past year doing extensive surveys, looking at other cities’ crime plans and coming up with solutions. The team included PSI Executive Driector Memphis Shelby Crime Commission President Bill Gibbons, former MPD Director Michael Rallings, a research assistant, professors and more.
“We know the economic health and economic future of this city depends on having a strong economic core. we can’t have that with overwhelming crime issues,” Dr. John Gnuschke with 901 Economics said.
He is also on the team that just turned over a 60-page downtown safety plan.
Downtown Safety Plan recommends Beale Street bars close by 2
Gnuschke said the plan generated 43 initiatives and over 160 action steps “that can take place and should take place.”
Action steps included addressing blight and litter among the main pedestrian walkways, installing better signage, stopping alcohol sales on Beale at 2 a.m., encouraging more tours and pop-up events, enforcing city ordinances for aggressive panhandling and tackling homelessness with more mental health training, resources and mobile clinics.
“Lighting is also extremely important, and MLGW is working on lighting. There needs to be more done in that area,” Gnuschke said. “Simple things that can be addressed to improve downtown. Make it more attractive to people.”
Many of you also brought that to WREG Investigators’ attention. Light after light spotted along major downtown streets.
Last month, every light out along Gayoso, a side street connecting Second to Front, was pitch dark.
MLGW said a contractor damaged a cable, and after we asked questions, crews restored the outage within a day.
MLGW also said it’s installing 77,000 new LED lights across the city and in downtown. 85 percent of the work is complete but admits 1,700 of the new lights aren’t functioning properly. They’re addressing that as well. No timeline was given.
But the crime plan suggests that still won’t be enough. It states more lights should be installed especially around the South Main area where it’s become a hot spot for property crime.
New MPD downtown traffic plan draws mixed reactions
The plan also calls on multiple agencies to play their part like the Shelby County District Attorney’s office instituting its Anti-Trespassing Program in multi-story parking garages to deter unwanted visitors.
DA Steve Mulroy said he had a “very good meeting” with Young and are “meeting in the future for me to present more fully my crime strategy.”
He was unavailable for an interview, but in a statement said “Any property owner can enroll in our Anti-Trespass Program. Downtown parking garages would be logical candidates.”
The downtown safety plan also calls for a stronger police presence. Something Police Chief CJ Cavis said she’s working on.
“I wish we had officers on every corner,” she said.
But until they hire more officers, MPD is utilizing overtime details and task forces and partnering with the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office to help with Beale.
“These are very, very difficult times. Our officers are overworked and exhausted from running around chasing individuals with guns. We need to do better with gun legislation,” she said.
Like many cities, COVID impacted Memphis especially downtown. Stakeholders said the population changed as more people changed routines and worked remotely.
It affected business. The dynamic is different. Young assured us it’s rebounding. He pointed to Tom Lee Park, a new museum and other developments in the works.
“It’s our living room for the whole region. We have had small businesses, particularly small businesses, looking at opening up different spaces like restaurants, bars and things of that nature in downtown,” he said.
Like many, he doesn’t want crime interfering with progress. He called this downtown safety plan sensible and agreed simple improvements to lighting, litter and more, positive community events will start to win people back.
“Those negative incidents do not define who we are,” he said.
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Young says they also added to their Blue Suede Brigade, which is the DMC’s security and hospitality team. They’re also working overnight shifts.
He said his transition team is analyzing it all and developing what he calls a hard-hitting crime plan that will include downtown. He vows to launch it within the first 100 days.
Until then, a city waits and hopes the heart of their city can be saved.
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