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- (female announcer) 
  Production funding for

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Behind the Headlines 
  is made possible in part by

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the WKNO Production Fund,

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the WKNO Endowment Fund

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and by viewers 
  like you, thank you.

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- Memphis Mayor Jim 
Strickland tonight,

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on Behind the Headlines.

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[intense orchestral music]

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I'm Eric Barnes with 
The Daily Memphian,

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and thanks for joining us.

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I am joined tonight by 
Mayor Jim Strickland.

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Thanks for being here again. 
- Thank you for having me.

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- Along with Bil Dries,

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reporter with 
The Daily Memphian.

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We'll talk a lot 
tonight about crime.

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Crime obviously, is 
huge on people's mind.

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It's a national increase.

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It's a very disturbing 
local increase.

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We may touch a bit on 
the Young Dolph shooting,

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the rapper who was 
shot Wednesday.

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I should note that we're taping 
this on Thursday morning,

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so there could be other 
things that develop in that,

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because obviously it's 
a fast-moving story.

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Let me start big picture, 
and we had Amy Weirich,

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Shelby County 
District Attorney on,

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I think last week, talking 
about some of these issues.

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There's a three year 
increase in violent crime.

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It's up 30% since 2018. 
Murders are up 80% since 2018.

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Aggravated assaults up 50%.

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There are some categories 
of crime that are down,

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which I think sometimes 
surprises people,

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but you ran on, you're 
now in your second term,

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what, you're six 
years in give or take,

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ran on fighting crime and 
addressing the crime problem.

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Going back, let's go back 
with a hypothetical here

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to the beginning of your term,

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if you'd known a 
couple of key things,

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if you'd known that hiring,

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that increasing the 
size of the police force

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would be so difficult.

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It's really basically 
been static,

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and it's been static 
nationally, right?

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It's been a huge national 
problem hiring police force,

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losing police members.

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If you'd known the legislature 
was gonna increase access

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to guns so dramatically, 
and those are legal ways,

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but every law enforcement 
person who has come on the show

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over the last five 
years has said,

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Those legal guns are ending 
up in the hands of criminals

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through theft, and so on

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and has created a huge 
amount of gun crime.

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And if you'd known 
the impossible,

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which that this kind 
of societal pandemic

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and the upheaval of the 
last two years would happen,

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looking back at the 
crime strategies

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you all have implemented, 
what would you do differently?

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- Well, first let me 
reframe it a little bit.

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Not only crime was 
reduced in 2017 to 2018,

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2018 to 2019, and we were 
hiring more police officers

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and crime was going down, 
then the pandemic hit.

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You kind of framed it around 
2018. I'm moving up to 2019.

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Pre-pandemic, we were heading 
in the right direction,

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and I think everything that 
we've done has been correct.

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If I did anything differently,

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I wish we had started 
violence interruption earlier.

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- What is violence 
interruption when you say that?

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- That is a program that 
other cities have used

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where it's high 
touch intervention

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with the young people 
who are in gangs

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or thinking about 
getting in gangs

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or in some kind of groups,

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now that's the new 
theory, groups.

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They aren't official gangs 
and intervene with them,

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high touch, meaning often, 
several times a week.

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- With police, with social--

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- Well, it's people 
trained, non-police,

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trained to do that 
kind of intervention

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to pull them outside 
the life of crime.

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- Private sector or are those 
city or county employees?

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- They are a nonprofit. 
Those are nonprofits.

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- So working with 
nonprofit centers.

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- Yeah, we've had it for awhile,

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but they only had 13 employees.

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We use some of the 
federal money that we got

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and to bump that 
up, and July 1,

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we started and gave 
them more money.

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They've hired up to 25 now,

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and they're going up to 
50 here before Christmas,

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and I would have liked to 
have started that earlier.

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Pre-pandemic, Oakland, 
California, reduced gun violence

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by 50% through this program, 
or one of the things.

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- Through that program, okay.

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But again, looking 
forward, COVID time warp.

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You've got a year and a half 
left and you're termed out?

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- Two years and one month.

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- Two years and one month 
left, sorry about that.

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I'm not trying to 
get you out sooner.

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[Jim laughing]

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I just don't have 
good time anymore.

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It seems unlikely 
though that the,

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I mean, the level 
of police force

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is kind of chugging 
along at around 2000.

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Again, I mean, that's 
a national phenomenon

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and what happens 
next with getting

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the crime rate back down?

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I mean, is it just getting back

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to the things you 
were doing before,

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or is there a new world 
with post-pandemic

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and the rise in juvenile crime?

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I assume you feel it. 
I hear it all the time.

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I mean, it is a catastrophe.

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- I do live in the 
city, so I do feel it,

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and I've been concerned 
about this and working on it

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for almost six years, and even 
before that on City Council,

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so this is not new to me.

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Let me talk about police and 
then the big challenge we have.

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Police, we had gotten down to 
almost 1900 police officers

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early in my term.

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We had increased 
that in 2019 to 2,100,

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a net increase of 
almost 200 officers

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going into the pandemic.

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Since the pandemic, 
we've had a net decrease

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of about a hundred, or maybe 
even more than a hundred.

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The pandemic has really 
devastated our recruiting

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and retention efforts.

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We've had more retire 
and more resign

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over the last year 
and a half. I don't--

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- Was it the George 
Floyd protests?

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- Yes. 
- People say that.

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I don't know if you see that.

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- I think that's obviously 
negatively affected,

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people don't want to 
be police officers now.

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So, we're down under 
2,000 officers now,

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and we've wanted 
to get to 2,500.

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S,o pre-pandemic, we were at 
2,100, in the right direction,

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pandemic, other 
things have happened.

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The big challenge though that 
we have is state law is weak.

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State law allows easy and 
widespread access to guns,

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while it does not punish the 
wrongful use of those guns.

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- But is there any reason 
to believe that will change?

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- The second part, maybe.

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I mean, no, we're not 
gonna be able to pull back

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the lack of gun regulations, 
but for instance,

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when they allowed guns in cars, 
theft from guns skyrocketed.

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This year alone, we've 
had about 1500 guns

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stolen out of vehicles.

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People are not stealing 
guns to go hunting.

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They're stealing guns to 
then commit more crimes.

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People must lock up their guns.

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Let's go to the second 
issue, state law.

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This is some examples 
of state law.

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I shoot a gun at you, 
then don't hit you,

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no mandatory jail time on me 
'cause of weak state laws.

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Somebody charged with first 
degree murder got out on bond

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that should never be 
allowed to get out on bond.

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Somebody convicted 
for eight years.

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They get out in two years.

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The third year, they 
commit a murder,

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and I'm gonna write about that 
in this week a weekly update.

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State law is weak and 
young people are laughing

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at the situation.

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201 Poplar's a revolving door.

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Juvenile court is even 
more of a revolving door,

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and juvenile court 
needs more money

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to do more intervention 
with these young people

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instead of just 
revolving door.

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- Let me get Bill in here.

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- Mayor, let's talk about 
some immediate stuff

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as we record this the 
day after the shooting

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and killing of Young Dolph.

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Some folks have called 
for a curfew of some kind.

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Should there be a curfew?

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- Well at this point, no,

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but you know, you 
always keep that option.

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It was a horribly tragic event,

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what happened to Young Dolph, 
but it was a targeted killing.

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And with targeted killings,

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what we try to do is to 
avoid the retaliation,

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and that's a limited 
number of people.

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That's not a city-wide 
emergency situation

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where you'd have to do a curfew.

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So what we do is the 
police, the gang unit,

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the interveners that I 
talked about earlier,

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try to intervene to try 
to stop a retaliation.

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There's a limited 
number of people,

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limited number of places.

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We did have an increased 
police presence

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in those targeted areas

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that we thought were 
needed last night,

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and that will continue.

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Now, we always have the option,

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but we just didn't think, 
and overnight really,

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nothing happened 
associated with that case.

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- And let me also 
clarify again to people

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that we are recording 
this Thursday morning.

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The shooting was Wednesday, 
just so you don't,

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'cause again, this 
will air on Friday.

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Go ahead, Bill.

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- Did your counselors 
with the group violence

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intervention effort that 
we've been talking about,

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did they have an 
opportunity to go out

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after the shooting 
and do some work?

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- Yes, I talked to the 
lead, and they were onsite,

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and then they were elsewhere,

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trying to tamp down 
any retaliation,

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but so were our police officers.

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- There were two other attempts 
on this young man's life

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in different cities.

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Are the areas that 
you're looking at

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to watch and try to 
avoid any retaliation,

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are these people who are 
suspects in this shooting

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or do you know at this point?

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- I don't know, I don't 
know all the places

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where we have increased 
police presence,

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but there's two groups, 
as I understand it,

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who have a beef with each other,

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and there are many members 
associated with those groups,

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and all are being 
talked to as much

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as they'll allow 
to be talked to,

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and there are certain areas 
that could be hotspots

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that have increased 
police presence.

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- Let's talk about 
hotspots, I guess

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and another element of crime 
that I hear about constantly

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from people and see it some,

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which is the state of the 
highways and the streets

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in terms of drag racing, 
reckless driving.

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And one of the things 
I accidentally joked

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with DA Weirich last week, 
but I meant it actually,

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which was that I 
was driving out here

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to the studio out 
east on the highway,

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and I thought to myself,

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well, if I drive 75, 
I might get a ticket.

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If I go up to a hundred, 
I'm not gonna get a ticket,

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because right now the police 
force has said, by and large,

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they're not gonna chase 
down people doing a hundred.

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And as I was driving 
out last week,

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multiple people passed me going

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clearly 90 to 100 miles an hour,

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just based on what I could see.

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There's a moral hazard in there,

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00:11:05,498 --> 00:11:09,936
that people know they're 
not gonna get pulled over,

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00:11:09,936 --> 00:11:12,972
and so it seems to 
be a vicious cycle

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of more people speeding, more 
people doing dangerous things.

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The word is out that they're 
not gonna get chased.

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How does that, and that's even 
separate above the shootings

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that are going on, 
on the highway.

247
00:11:24,350 --> 00:11:26,586
So how do we get control 
of the highways again?

248
00:11:26,586 --> 00:11:30,056
- Well, we have 
good news recently,

249
00:11:30,056 --> 00:11:31,591
just in the last 
couple of weeks.

250
00:11:31,591 --> 00:11:34,761
I think Bill actually was the 
first one to write the story.

251
00:11:34,761 --> 00:11:38,898
We've been asking for years 
that the state take ownership

252
00:11:38,898 --> 00:11:42,235
of the state property, 
which are the interstates.

253
00:11:42,235 --> 00:11:46,272
Those aren't city streets, 
but through tradition,

254
00:11:46,272 --> 00:11:49,142
the city has been leaned 
on to patrol them,

255
00:11:49,142 --> 00:11:51,444
respond to accidents 
and all that.

256
00:11:51,444 --> 00:11:54,981
We had no permanent presence 
of highway patrol officers.

257
00:11:54,981 --> 00:11:57,750
- And haven't for decades. 
- For decades.

258
00:11:57,750 --> 00:12:00,887
So we're getting that now.

259
00:12:00,887 --> 00:12:02,956
There's 12, not long ago,

260
00:12:02,956 --> 00:12:05,925
it was about 6 highway 
patrol officers, it's up to 12.

261
00:12:05,925 --> 00:12:09,662
It's gonna be 16 this 
summer and more beyond that,

262
00:12:09,662 --> 00:12:12,098
and what you'll see is the 
highway patrol officers there

263
00:12:12,098 --> 00:12:14,500
instead of us, and 
then we can have more

264
00:12:14,500 --> 00:12:16,336
patrolling the streets.

265
00:12:16,336 --> 00:12:19,339
- I've heard Chief 
Davis, now 103 months,

266
00:12:19,339 --> 00:12:21,374
the new Police Chief, 
speak about the need

267
00:12:21,374 --> 00:12:24,377
for more technology 
and IDing cameras,

268
00:12:24,377 --> 00:12:25,778
cameras on the highways,

269
00:12:25,778 --> 00:12:27,313
and I guess maybe 
potentially on the streets

270
00:12:27,313 --> 00:12:28,548
that ID the license plates,

271
00:12:28,548 --> 00:12:30,049
and you try to track 
the people down later,

272
00:12:30,049 --> 00:12:32,652
versus chasing them 
down the highway.

273
00:12:32,652 --> 00:12:34,554
- Well yeah, let's talk 
about why we don't chase.

274
00:12:34,554 --> 00:12:35,788
- Yeah, yeah, please.

275
00:12:35,788 --> 00:12:37,924
- Because I do get some 
questions about that.

276
00:12:39,158 --> 00:12:41,628
We don't do high speed chases

277
00:12:41,628 --> 00:12:43,096
and other police 
departments too,

278
00:12:43,096 --> 00:12:45,598
like Bartlett, I know for 
sure it doesn't do it,

279
00:12:45,598 --> 00:12:50,136
unless it's a dangerous felon, 
and that's a different story.

280
00:12:50,136 --> 00:12:52,205
But if it's just 
someone speeding,

281
00:12:53,406 --> 00:12:57,310
you chase them, 
there some chance

282
00:12:57,310 --> 00:12:58,811
that they're gonna lose control

283
00:12:58,811 --> 00:13:00,179
and hurt somebody and kill 
somebody, and it's happened--

284
00:13:00,179 --> 00:13:01,614
- And the police officer 
could lose control

285
00:13:01,614 --> 00:13:03,082
and hurt somebody and 
that's been a problem--

286
00:13:03,082 --> 00:13:06,185
- But the more likely thing 
is the untrained driver,

287
00:13:06,185 --> 00:13:08,955
often young people, 
will lose control

288
00:13:08,955 --> 00:13:10,256
and hit somebody and kill them,

289
00:13:10,256 --> 00:13:12,325
and that's where 
it's not worth it.

290
00:13:12,325 --> 00:13:17,330
But, until last spring, 
cameras on the interstate

291
00:13:18,431 --> 00:13:20,533
to do the license plate 
reads was illegal.

292
00:13:20,533 --> 00:13:22,502
We got a law changed 
to allow that,

293
00:13:22,502 --> 00:13:24,370
because it's state 
owned property.

294
00:13:24,370 --> 00:13:26,105
Now that's allowed. 
We're pricing it out.

295
00:13:26,105 --> 00:13:28,174
- Okay, and those 
will be city run

296
00:13:28,174 --> 00:13:29,509
or in partnership 
with the state?

297
00:13:29,509 --> 00:13:30,777
- We haven't decided yet.

298
00:13:30,777 --> 00:13:33,880
- Okay, switch to 
the city streets,

299
00:13:33,880 --> 00:13:37,116
[stammering] what do you do?

300
00:13:37,116 --> 00:13:39,085
It's the same rules for 
people speeding down Poplar

301
00:13:39,085 --> 00:13:41,320
or speeding down Union or 
speeding down the Airways, so--

302
00:13:41,320 --> 00:13:43,156
- Obviously, it's cost--

303
00:13:43,156 --> 00:13:45,024
- Of the cameras to ID them.

304
00:13:45,024 --> 00:13:48,995
- Yes, and we have thousands 
of cameras out right now.

305
00:13:48,995 --> 00:13:51,297
- The SkyCop cameras? 
- The SkyCop cameras.

306
00:13:51,297 --> 00:13:52,899
- But they don't 
ID license plates,

307
00:13:52,899 --> 00:13:57,603
I mean there just kinda low 
res surveillance cameras.

308
00:13:57,603 --> 00:14:00,406
- All police vehicles have 
license plate readers,

309
00:14:00,406 --> 00:14:01,574
and what you're talking about

310
00:14:01,574 --> 00:14:03,743
is putting license 
plate readers elsewhere,

311
00:14:03,743 --> 00:14:06,212
like a permanent, 
it's just a cost,

312
00:14:06,212 --> 00:14:07,714
so we'll see how much it costs.

313
00:14:07,714 --> 00:14:09,082
- Is there anything else 
before I go back to Bill,

314
00:14:09,082 --> 00:14:10,850
like in city streets, 
that can be done

315
00:14:10,850 --> 00:14:12,351
to regain control 
of the streets?

316
00:14:12,351 --> 00:14:15,488
- Oh, we've probably put a 
thousand or more speed humps

317
00:14:16,589 --> 00:14:18,658
down Riverside 
Drive, other places,

318
00:14:18,658 --> 00:14:22,762
not just downtown, other places 
to try to slow people down.

319
00:14:22,762 --> 00:14:24,097
- Are they working? 
- Yeah.

320
00:14:24,097 --> 00:14:25,765
I mean, in the places 
where they have it.

321
00:14:25,765 --> 00:14:27,934
- Yeah, okay, Bill.

322
00:14:29,368 --> 00:14:32,238
- Several City Council members 
have talked about going back

323
00:14:32,238 --> 00:14:36,476
to the residency issue on 
police and where they live.

324
00:14:36,476 --> 00:14:38,177
Is there gonna be 
a push for that,

325
00:14:39,212 --> 00:14:40,847
before the Council I should say?

326
00:14:42,749 --> 00:14:44,717
- We'll see, I hope so.

327
00:14:44,717 --> 00:14:46,519
It may be a first start

328
00:14:46,519 --> 00:14:50,823
with a private behind the 
scenes push before it's public,

329
00:14:50,823 --> 00:14:52,125
but it ought to be.

330
00:14:52,125 --> 00:14:55,661
I mean, remember, like I said,

331
00:14:55,661 --> 00:14:58,598
2018, 2019, we 
were low on crime.

332
00:14:58,598 --> 00:15:03,536
2020, we said, "Let's 
widen the residency rule."

333
00:15:04,670 --> 00:15:07,640
They said, "No," 
and then we've seen

334
00:15:07,640 --> 00:15:08,875
what's happening to crime.

335
00:15:08,875 --> 00:15:10,877
Now, I'm not saying it's 
a direct correlation,

336
00:15:10,877 --> 00:15:14,180
but I think I said 
to you or someone,

337
00:15:14,180 --> 00:15:18,551
"The Council's vote not 
to allow the public to vote

338
00:15:18,551 --> 00:15:21,354
on widening residency 
has not aged well."

339
00:15:21,354 --> 00:15:24,157
I mean, we see what 
happened to crime.

340
00:15:24,157 --> 00:15:26,292
We see what's happened 
to our police ranks,

341
00:15:26,292 --> 00:15:27,860
which has shrunk since then.

342
00:15:27,860 --> 00:15:31,564
We need help. We need 
to be able to hire.

343
00:15:31,564 --> 00:15:34,934
Most every major 
city in the country

344
00:15:34,934 --> 00:15:38,271
is allowed to hire officers 
outside the county,

345
00:15:38,271 --> 00:15:39,806
and we need the help.

346
00:15:39,806 --> 00:15:41,174
We should be able to do it.

347
00:15:42,542 --> 00:15:44,744
- If the Council 
reverses course on it,

348
00:15:44,744 --> 00:15:48,648
and the votes were 
there on the Council

349
00:15:48,648 --> 00:15:50,950
to not only rescind 
the referendum,

350
00:15:50,950 --> 00:15:53,853
but also to override 
your veto of this,

351
00:15:55,221 --> 00:15:56,889
it's gonna take some time.

352
00:15:56,889 --> 00:16:01,394
Is it enough to say, "Let's 
increase the number of police,"

353
00:16:02,495 --> 00:16:05,097
given how long 
it's going to take?

354
00:16:05,097 --> 00:16:08,501
Do you need a plan B to that?

355
00:16:08,501 --> 00:16:10,236
- Oh, we're already 
executing on that.

356
00:16:10,236 --> 00:16:12,972
That's why we have a 
$15,000 signing bonus

357
00:16:12,972 --> 00:16:16,843
for all new police officers, 
$10,000 moving expense

358
00:16:16,843 --> 00:16:18,411
if somebody comes in 
from in out of town,

359
00:16:18,411 --> 00:16:22,682
fifteen thousand dollar 
home purchase assistance,

360
00:16:22,682 --> 00:16:24,550
if they buy a house in Memphis.

361
00:16:24,550 --> 00:16:27,119
That's more money than 
any city in the world.

362
00:16:27,119 --> 00:16:30,890
We're aggressively going out 
there to different cities.

363
00:16:30,890 --> 00:16:35,027
We did a 9% bonus for police 
officers and firefighters.

364
00:16:35,027 --> 00:16:37,964
We're now, I think 
we're in the first year,

365
00:16:37,964 --> 00:16:39,765
and then two more years of 9%.

366
00:16:39,765 --> 00:16:41,734
We've raised their salary.

367
00:16:41,734 --> 00:16:44,604
We will continue 
to do all we can

368
00:16:44,604 --> 00:16:47,240
to make it a good place to 
work to recruit those officers.

369
00:16:47,240 --> 00:16:49,775
- But we're holding steady.

370
00:16:49,775 --> 00:16:54,480
I mean, this seems to be a 
larger problem than it seemed.

371
00:16:54,480 --> 00:16:55,948
- Oh, there's no doubt.

372
00:16:55,948 --> 00:16:57,416
It's kind of what Eric 
and I were talking about.

373
00:16:57,416 --> 00:16:59,685
Fewer people are applying 
to be police officers.

374
00:17:00,987 --> 00:17:03,856
Almost every police 
department across the country

375
00:17:03,856 --> 00:17:07,093
is struggling to 
hire and to retain.

376
00:17:07,093 --> 00:17:10,296
So many current 
officers are deciding

377
00:17:10,296 --> 00:17:12,164
they want a different 
way to make a living.

378
00:17:12,164 --> 00:17:16,903
And then the general, 
it's hard for the FedExs

379
00:17:18,170 --> 00:17:20,239
and the AutoZones to hire.

380
00:17:20,239 --> 00:17:23,276
Everyone is having a 
hard time hiring people.

381
00:17:23,276 --> 00:17:26,078
City government, non police 
and fire, we're having--

382
00:17:26,078 --> 00:17:28,447
- Online local newspapers 
are struggling to hire,

383
00:17:28,447 --> 00:17:29,882
I mean, really.

384
00:17:29,882 --> 00:17:33,819
- Yeah, and I never 
worried about firefighters

385
00:17:33,819 --> 00:17:36,389
and recruiting and 
retaining firefighters.

386
00:17:36,389 --> 00:17:39,058
In the last six months, 
seeing the numbers,

387
00:17:39,058 --> 00:17:42,128
it's the first time I've really 
started to worry about that.

388
00:17:42,128 --> 00:17:43,529
- The interesting thing to me

389
00:17:43,529 --> 00:17:45,998
about the discussion 
the Council had

390
00:17:45,998 --> 00:17:50,369
is that you have Council 
members who believed

391
00:17:50,369 --> 00:17:53,673
that police officers 
should live in the city

392
00:17:53,673 --> 00:17:57,577
that they work in or live in 
the county where they work in.

393
00:17:57,577 --> 00:17:59,412
But they've also said,

394
00:17:59,412 --> 00:18:02,248
"Yes, I think we need 
more police officers."

395
00:18:02,248 --> 00:18:04,016
I mean, you had a 
majority on the Council

396
00:18:04,016 --> 00:18:07,753
who agreed with the goal 
of going up to 2,500.

397
00:18:07,753 --> 00:18:12,758
So, is this not necessarily 
about the number of police,

398
00:18:13,926 --> 00:18:16,662
but is it about 
a larger issue of

399
00:18:16,662 --> 00:18:19,532
police officers should 
live where they work?

400
00:18:19,532 --> 00:18:21,033
- Well, that's what they say,

401
00:18:21,033 --> 00:18:23,436
but that's an example of 
the challenge that we face

402
00:18:23,436 --> 00:18:25,371
with crime overall.

403
00:18:25,371 --> 00:18:29,375
Because when a crime happens, 
the camera always comes to me,

404
00:18:29,375 --> 00:18:31,110
"Strickland, what are you 
gonna do about crime?"

405
00:18:31,110 --> 00:18:32,311
And I'm not saying it shouldn't.

406
00:18:32,311 --> 00:18:34,480
I've totally welcomed that.

407
00:18:34,480 --> 00:18:36,916
But y'all never go 
to the Council

408
00:18:36,916 --> 00:18:38,617
immediately after a crime,

409
00:18:38,617 --> 00:18:41,320
and say, "Do you regret 
limiting our police force?"

410
00:18:41,320 --> 00:18:43,956
And that's what it was, it 
was limiting our police force.

411
00:18:43,956 --> 00:18:47,560
No one ever goes to state 
lawmakers and state government,

412
00:18:47,560 --> 00:18:50,396
"Do you regret these 
weak state laws?"

413
00:18:50,396 --> 00:18:52,565
And y'all never go to 
county government and say,

414
00:18:52,565 --> 00:18:55,635
"Y'all are a hundred 
percent responsible

415
00:18:55,635 --> 00:18:58,104
for juvenile justice, 
a hundred percent,"

416
00:18:58,104 --> 00:19:00,206
and I'm not saying y'all, 
I don't mean Daily Memphian.

417
00:19:00,206 --> 00:19:02,208
I mean general in media.

418
00:19:02,208 --> 00:19:04,543
I'm not trying to point you out. 
- That is fair.

419
00:19:04,543 --> 00:19:06,479
- But no one goes to 
the county government,

420
00:19:06,479 --> 00:19:08,047
which is a hundred 
percent responsible

421
00:19:08,047 --> 00:19:10,149
for juvenile justice, 
a hundred percent.

422
00:19:11,050 --> 00:19:13,319
Juvenile crime has skyrocketed

423
00:19:13,319 --> 00:19:15,654
over the last six, seven years.

424
00:19:15,654 --> 00:19:20,226
It actually dovetails to when 
the consent decree was placed,

425
00:19:20,226 --> 00:19:21,961
and I'm not disagreeing 
with the thought

426
00:19:21,961 --> 00:19:24,330
of the consent decree, 
but if you're not gonna take

427
00:19:24,330 --> 00:19:27,066
more into custody, and 
you're gonna push people

428
00:19:27,066 --> 00:19:30,836
away from court, juvenile 
court needs more money

429
00:19:30,836 --> 00:19:33,739
to intervene with 
these young people

430
00:19:33,739 --> 00:19:37,610
who are doing bad things and 
no longer coming into court,

431
00:19:37,610 --> 00:19:39,545
but no one asked them, no one.

432
00:19:39,545 --> 00:19:40,813
It's always, "Strickland,

433
00:19:40,813 --> 00:19:42,048
what are you gonna do 
about juvenile court?"

434
00:19:42,048 --> 00:19:46,218
And please continue to 
push us, me personally.

435
00:19:46,218 --> 00:19:48,587
I take responsibility for it,

436
00:19:48,587 --> 00:19:51,290
but I don't have a 
hundred percent authority

437
00:19:51,290 --> 00:19:53,426
on all these different areas.

438
00:19:53,426 --> 00:19:56,762
And that's why it's easy 
for a council member to say,

439
00:19:56,762 --> 00:19:58,030
take those positions.

440
00:19:58,030 --> 00:19:59,532
We need more police officers,

441
00:19:59,532 --> 00:20:00,900
but let's not go 
outside the county,

442
00:20:00,900 --> 00:20:02,168
because nobody pushes them.

443
00:20:02,168 --> 00:20:04,170
- Yeah, I mean, 
we got defensive,

444
00:20:04,170 --> 00:20:05,971
and it is an interesting 
conversation.

445
00:20:05,971 --> 00:20:07,506
Over time, on 
Behind the Headlines,

446
00:20:07,506 --> 00:20:11,077
and we've had Floyd Bonner 
on recently, the Sheriff.

447
00:20:11,077 --> 00:20:14,013
We've had the juvenile court,

448
00:20:14,013 --> 00:20:17,116
Judge Michaels, on in the past.

449
00:20:17,116 --> 00:20:18,651
We haven't been able 
to get him on again,

450
00:20:18,651 --> 00:20:20,119
Amy Weirich last week, the DA.

451
00:20:20,119 --> 00:20:21,420
We've talked to Council members

452
00:20:21,420 --> 00:20:22,922
and county commissioners 
about this,

453
00:20:22,922 --> 00:20:25,658
and next week we're talking 
to two local state legislators

454
00:20:25,658 --> 00:20:29,395
and among many things, 
including the gun laws.

455
00:20:29,395 --> 00:20:33,499
And, it is complicated 
and to some degree,

456
00:20:33,499 --> 00:20:37,503
you begin to get the scale 
of the diaspora of entities

457
00:20:37,503 --> 00:20:39,872
that have their fingers 
in this without, I mean,

458
00:20:39,872 --> 00:20:41,907
if you listen to all 
those conversations,

459
00:20:41,907 --> 00:20:44,243
you realize all the 
complexities of this.

460
00:20:44,243 --> 00:20:45,478
- First of all, I 
need a dictionary

461
00:20:45,478 --> 00:20:46,612
to look up that 
word you just said.

462
00:20:46,612 --> 00:20:47,913
- Diaspora, yeah. 
- Yeah.

463
00:20:47,913 --> 00:20:48,881
- I'm not sure if I 
even used it right,

464
00:20:48,881 --> 00:20:50,182
but it sounded really important.

465
00:20:50,182 --> 00:20:52,852
- But Judge Michael, 
I'm glad y'all talk to him,

466
00:20:52,852 --> 00:20:54,653
but he needs more resources.

467
00:20:54,653 --> 00:20:55,955
It's the County Commission

468
00:20:55,955 --> 00:20:58,157
that needs to give 
him more funding.

469
00:20:58,157 --> 00:21:00,259
If you're pushing kids 
out of the system,

470
00:21:00,259 --> 00:21:01,994
where are you pushing them to?

471
00:21:01,994 --> 00:21:03,362
- So let's talk more--

472
00:21:03,362 --> 00:21:04,530
- They're getting 
no interaction.

473
00:21:04,530 --> 00:21:05,898
- We've talked a ton,

474
00:21:05,898 --> 00:21:07,767
We've mentioned a little 
bit about intervention,

475
00:21:07,767 --> 00:21:12,371
about efforts other than 
policing and locking up,

476
00:21:12,371 --> 00:21:14,006
so let's talk a little 
bit more about that.

477
00:21:14,006 --> 00:21:16,842
I mean, what in the short term,

478
00:21:16,842 --> 00:21:19,945
I think everyone vaguely, 
generally agrees,

479
00:21:21,313 --> 00:21:24,216
good families, good education, 
interventions at young,

480
00:21:24,216 --> 00:21:27,019
those are lifetime choices 
and long-term choices

481
00:21:27,019 --> 00:21:30,789
and interventions that hopefully 
keep kids on a better path.

482
00:21:30,789 --> 00:21:33,926
I mean, people are like, "What 
are we gonna do next week?"

483
00:21:33,926 --> 00:21:37,730
And what are the non-policing, 
non-lock them up strategies

484
00:21:37,730 --> 00:21:40,533
that the city, that your 
part of this diaspora

485
00:21:40,533 --> 00:21:43,402
can tackle that work.

486
00:21:43,402 --> 00:21:45,137
- The thing I'm so 
most excited about

487
00:21:45,137 --> 00:21:46,272
is Boys and Girls Club.

488
00:21:47,873 --> 00:21:51,644
When I took office in 2016, 
and even the campaign,

489
00:21:51,644 --> 00:21:54,547
I talked about, kids need 
something productive to do

490
00:21:54,547 --> 00:21:56,515
when they're not in school, 
I said it all the time.

491
00:21:56,515 --> 00:21:58,918
We did more in our community 
centers, more in our libraries,

492
00:21:58,918 --> 00:22:01,854
more in our summer jobs program, 
more in our parks, we did.

493
00:22:03,022 --> 00:22:04,456
Boys and Girls Club 
was the next step.

494
00:22:04,456 --> 00:22:06,258
I could never come 
up with extra money,

495
00:22:06,258 --> 00:22:10,029
'cause it cost millions, using 
the federal stimulus money.

496
00:22:10,029 --> 00:22:11,630
What we're doing at 
Craigmont High School

497
00:22:11,630 --> 00:22:13,599
was the only school 
that Boys and Girls Club

498
00:22:13,599 --> 00:22:15,835
was in afterschool programming,

499
00:22:15,835 --> 00:22:17,303
and the kids don't 
have to go to a club,

500
00:22:17,303 --> 00:22:19,772
don't have to go to a community 
center, just stay at school.

501
00:22:19,772 --> 00:22:21,607
They close at 8:00,

502
00:22:21,607 --> 00:22:23,275
and they've done it 
for about four years.

503
00:22:23,275 --> 00:22:25,778
Y'all should have the 
Principal of Craigmont on.

504
00:22:25,778 --> 00:22:28,781
She will tell you that a 
hundred percent of the kids

505
00:22:28,781 --> 00:22:30,282
in the Boys and 
Girls Club program,

506
00:22:30,282 --> 00:22:32,418
a hundred percent 
graduate high school,

507
00:22:32,418 --> 00:22:35,087
and a hundred percent of 
those go on to college,

508
00:22:35,087 --> 00:22:37,489
get a job or join the military.

509
00:22:37,489 --> 00:22:39,992
We have 30 public high 
schools in Memphis.

510
00:22:41,427 --> 00:22:45,364
A program, a partnership with 
Joris Ray and City Council,

511
00:22:45,364 --> 00:22:49,268
we're gonna expand that 
with 10 new schools,

512
00:22:49,268 --> 00:22:51,170
and that's what we need.

513
00:22:51,170 --> 00:22:54,673
We need every middle school 
and every high school

514
00:22:54,673 --> 00:22:56,742
to have afterschool 
program, intense.

515
00:22:56,742 --> 00:22:58,310
It doesn't have to 
be Boys and Girls.

516
00:22:58,310 --> 00:22:59,945
- Okay, I was gonna 
ask, are there other--

517
00:22:59,945 --> 00:23:03,182
- Intense afterschool 
programming 'till 8:00

518
00:23:03,182 --> 00:23:06,752
at night or so in the school, 
the kids don't have to leave

519
00:23:06,752 --> 00:23:11,590
and wouldn't it be great if 
a hundred percent of kids

520
00:23:11,590 --> 00:23:14,360
graduated high school and 
then went on to a successful?

521
00:23:14,360 --> 00:23:17,062
Then all these other 
problems disappear.

522
00:23:17,062 --> 00:23:19,598
- Is it a realistic goal? 
A hundred percent is a lot.

523
00:23:19,598 --> 00:23:22,167
- Yeah, and I can't guarantee 
you it's gonna continue that,

524
00:23:22,167 --> 00:23:26,505
but it's a lot better 
than what's going on now.

525
00:23:26,505 --> 00:23:28,140
- Just two minutes left, Bill.

526
00:23:28,140 --> 00:23:30,376
- Well, let me ask you a 
technical question about ARPA,

527
00:23:30,376 --> 00:23:34,146
the American Rescue 
Plan Act funding,

528
00:23:34,146 --> 00:23:36,682
that there is kind of a 
conversion of those funds,

529
00:23:36,682 --> 00:23:40,286
because the resolutions that 
the Council passed on this

530
00:23:40,286 --> 00:23:43,255
say that the money goes 
to replace lost revenues

531
00:23:43,255 --> 00:23:46,392
from the city, and then 
we see the ARPA budget

532
00:23:46,392 --> 00:23:48,894
that has the programs, so 
there's a bit of a conversion

533
00:23:48,894 --> 00:23:53,032
in that federal money from 
what it's intended for

534
00:23:53,032 --> 00:23:55,467
and what it's used for.

535
00:23:55,467 --> 00:23:56,635
I think I phrased that wrong-

536
00:23:56,635 --> 00:23:59,038
- I don't think I 
understand your question.

537
00:23:59,038 --> 00:24:02,241
it's allowed to replace 
lost revenue for cities,

538
00:24:02,241 --> 00:24:06,211
and it's allowed to make these 
big life-changing programs,

539
00:24:06,211 --> 00:24:09,381
like Boys and Girls Club, 
so we've used it for both.

540
00:24:09,381 --> 00:24:11,617
City government was not 
exempt from lost revenue,

541
00:24:11,617 --> 00:24:12,985
like businesses were.

542
00:24:12,985 --> 00:24:14,353
We lost revenue, 
and this allowed us

543
00:24:14,353 --> 00:24:16,155
to be whole basically.

544
00:24:16,155 --> 00:24:19,158
We didn't have to lay off. 
We didn't have to cut.

545
00:24:19,158 --> 00:24:21,160
And the federal 
money helped a lot,

546
00:24:21,160 --> 00:24:24,063
but we're also able to do 
the Boys and Girls Club,

547
00:24:24,063 --> 00:24:26,231
the broadband internet, 
which is really important,

548
00:24:26,231 --> 00:24:28,000
and these other big programs.

549
00:24:28,000 --> 00:24:32,504
- Because the lost revenue 
was going to go to programs

550
00:24:32,504 --> 00:24:34,473
and personnel for 
those programs.

551
00:24:34,473 --> 00:24:35,741
- For personnel for sure.

552
00:24:37,209 --> 00:24:39,545
But to me, the lost 
revenue helped us

553
00:24:39,545 --> 00:24:43,148
just to maintain the status 
quo, and then this other money,

554
00:24:43,148 --> 00:24:45,451
let us do something more 
than that status quo.

555
00:24:46,518 --> 00:24:48,354
- Just a minute left.

556
00:24:48,354 --> 00:24:51,357
You ran the first time I think,

557
00:24:51,357 --> 00:24:52,558
it was, "Brilliant 
at the basics,"

558
00:24:52,558 --> 00:24:53,892
and being brilliant 
at the basics,

559
00:24:53,892 --> 00:24:56,495
and I think if it was 
not the formal tagline,

560
00:24:57,996 --> 00:24:59,798
we had "Memphis has momentum."

561
00:24:59,798 --> 00:25:01,333
Do you feel like you're 
brilliant at the basics

562
00:25:01,333 --> 00:25:03,802
when it comes to things 
like roads, solid waste?

563
00:25:03,802 --> 00:25:05,838
We talked about litter 
when you were reelected

564
00:25:05,838 --> 00:25:07,306
that that was a priority.

565
00:25:07,306 --> 00:25:12,077
Did you feel that you are 
being brilliant at the basics?

566
00:25:12,077 --> 00:25:14,279
- With as much money 
as we have, yes.

567
00:25:15,714 --> 00:25:18,917
If we were to pick up all 
the litter that's out there,

568
00:25:18,917 --> 00:25:21,220
that you and I and other 
people throw outside,

569
00:25:21,220 --> 00:25:22,488
and I don't mean you 
and I literally--

570
00:25:22,488 --> 00:25:23,922
- God, you're just blaming me

571
00:25:23,922 --> 00:25:25,391
for everything today, 
it's unbelievable!

572
00:25:25,391 --> 00:25:27,159
- But, we human beings are 
the ones who put it out there.

573
00:25:27,159 --> 00:25:29,161
The city government 
is not littering.

574
00:25:29,161 --> 00:25:30,629
It's human beings 
put it out there.

575
00:25:30,629 --> 00:25:32,865
But if we were to come 
behind all the human beings

576
00:25:32,865 --> 00:25:37,870
and pick up their litter and 
cut private property grass,

577
00:25:39,571 --> 00:25:42,307
once a month, it 
would cost 15 more,

578
00:25:42,307 --> 00:25:43,542
we'd have to raise taxes.

579
00:25:43,542 --> 00:25:44,943
- Fifteen million? 
- Fifteen million dollars.

580
00:25:44,943 --> 00:25:47,413
And I put it out in one 
of my weekly emails.

581
00:25:47,413 --> 00:25:50,449
So, we've gotten better 
on picking up garbage,

582
00:25:51,617 --> 00:25:53,952
paving streets, 
it's lack of workforce.

583
00:25:53,952 --> 00:25:57,089
- Okay, we're gonna get you 
back sooner, thank you so much.

584
00:25:57,089 --> 00:26:00,192
lost a light bulb. We 
were so excited today.

585
00:26:00,192 --> 00:26:01,293
Thank you for joining us.

586
00:26:01,293 --> 00:26:02,795
You can get 
everything at WKNO.org

587
00:26:02,795 --> 00:26:04,696
or on YouTube, or download 
the podcast of the show

588
00:26:04,696 --> 00:26:05,964
wherever you get your podcasts.

589
00:26:05,964 --> 00:26:07,900
Thanks, and we'll 
see you next week.

590
00:26:07,900 --> 00:26:11,470
[intense orchestral music]

591
00:26:30,155 --> 00:26:32,157
[acoustic guitar chords]