Behind the Headlines Podcast · WKNO/The Daily Memphian

1637: Crime has dropped in Memphis but why is a question that still divides those in the crime fight

·27 min·1 clip

The Shelby County Crime Commission found 62% think the DA's office is too lenient and 80% say courts are too slow.

1. Behind the Headlines Podcast episode 1637 centers on Memphis crime falling, the Shelby County Schools takeover fight, and Tennessee's 2024 election calendar. 2. Eric Barnes hosts the roundtable with Toby Sells of The Memphis Flyer, Laura Testino of The Daily Memphian, and Bill Dries of The Daily Memphian, and their reporting drives the discussion. 3. The episode asks what Memphis is supposed to do with sharply lower crime numbers, a proposed school takeover, and a legislature moving fast in an election year. 4. Chief Davis told City Council that January-February Part 1 crimes were down about 48%, with motor vehicle thefts down 68% year-to-date and total incidents falling from 3,700 to 1,900. 5. Barnes and the panel note that the crime decline began before the federal surge, even as the task force helped accelerate it. 6. Mayor Paul Young and city leaders say the federal presence helped but did not cause the entire drop, while supporters of the surge say the task force deserves the credit. 7. The conversation points to a broader disconnect between officials and activists, with both sides talking past each other instead of directly challenging the other. 8. Barnes cites Shelby County Crime Commission polling showing crime has dropped as a top priority from almost 60% two years ago to 32% overall. 9. The same polling shows 62% think the Shelby County DA's office is too lenient and about 80% say the state court system is too slow. 10. The panel also notes that most respondents across demographics say they want more police in their neighborhoods. 11. Tennessee Highway Patrol figures come up too, including a rise from eight troopers in Shelby County in 2009 to about 75 now, with a possible increase to 100. 12. THP ties that increase to highway fatality numbers, including 259 fatal wrecks on interstates around the city in 2023 and 143 last year. 13. Laura Testino says the Shelby County Schools takeover bill has slowed, with attention likely to return after an interim forensic audit report expected in mid-to-late March. 14. She says Governor Bill Lee still wants to expand vouchers, but the budget makes an additional $100 million harder to fit. 15. She also notes a House Speaker Cameron Sexton proposal involving the existing voucher pilot in Shelby, Davidson, and Hamilton counties. 16. The panel says immigration-related education bills are moving in committee, including one that would require districts to track undocumented students and another version that would shift course from last year. 17. Barnes describes the takeover proposal as lacking policy prescriptions, which leaves a nine-member appointed board to decide what to change in a roughly $2 billion school system. 18. Bill Dries compares that uncertainty to the earlier Shelby County school merger process, saying even a large appointed board can split into factions and struggle. 19. The episode sounds like a fast-moving newsroom roundtable, with Barnes steering sharp transitions and the guests answering in short, specific turns. 20. People following Memphis crime, schools, elections, and state politics will get the most out of it, while listeners wanting a single topic may want to skip it.

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