Five months ago, thieves broke into Shanna Cox’s house in North Memphis and stole computer equipment. A week later, they returned to finish the job.
Cox feared the worst and moved in with her father shortly after the second break-in. “I shouldn’t have to move out of my house because people are breaking in,” said the mother of two sons.
Despite a recent Operation: Safe Community report that shows crime is trending downward, crime remains a high priority platform issue for the mayoral candidates who now are staring down the Oct. 15 special election. Several have pitched “comprehensive” plans to arrest the problem.
Cox takes note of the campaign pitches and says, “I hope they do what they say they’re going to do if they are elected mayor.”
Charles Carpenter Twenty-five mayoral candidates are on the ballot to replace former mayor Willie W. Herenton. If he’s elected, attorney Charles Carpenter says he would replace Memphis Police Director Larry Godwin, whom Herenton appointed in August 2004.
Carpenter has committed to revamp the department and focus on community policing rather than Godwin’s Operation Blue CRUSH™ (Crime Reduction Using Statistical History), which uses statistical data to pinpoint “hot spots” for crime.
On Aug. 26, Carpenter unveiled a crime plan called “All For One.” “Our action plan will provide the city with leadership and coordination that will change our focus and approach on abating crime,” he explains on his Web site,
www.charlescarpentermayor.com.
With Memphians and the police department working together to fight crime, Carpenter says he would increase uniform patrol officers, modify the number of special task forces, improve police response time, and increase the spirit of trust between citizens and police officers.
He also says his primary focus would be to deploy the proper number of police officers and provide officers with the proper equipment to fight crime.
Carpenter says he would review and evaluate all investigative service units, ensure that all bureaus are operating at their peak efficiency, and follow up on criminal investigations.
His approach also includes enhancing drug education and prevention programs, empowering neighborhood watch organizations, and increasing activities for youth.
Carol ChumneyFor former City Council member Carol Chumney, getting crime under control would be a top priority, if voters send her to City Hall. She says Memphis’ distinction as a city for violent crime was the impetus that prompted her aggressive push for public safety.
“Whether you agree with the statistics or not, this is the perception that businesses and families considering relocation have of our city,” Chumney says on her Web site,
wwwCarolChumneyOnline.com.
As an attorney and former state legislator who served on the House Judiciary Committee, Chumney says she has experience in the law enforcement field.
The former council chair also served on the Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee and was recognized statewide for her work to protect victims of domestic violence.
Chumney says she would create a safe learning environment for school children and provide positive learning and recreational opportunities after school.
Her crime-fighting initiatives include recruiting, developing, properly managing, and retaining top quality law enforcement personnel.
“I will push to hire the entire authorized complement of officers,” she says. “I will also review our internal security within the department to ensure that deployment decisions are always a surprise to the criminals.”
Vacant houses and buildings that serve as havens for criminal activity also would be torn down, Chumney says. “I will push to use the city allocated funds to demolish these vacant and abandoned properties, so new development can take place within our city.”
Wanda HalbertWhen City Council member Wanda Halbert announced her mayoral candidacy on Aug. 3, she introduced a plan of action that includes public safety and health.
If elected mayor, Halbert says she would reintroduce community policing initiatives, support tough penalties for real crimes, create diversion and rehabilitation opportunities, establish justice in policing, and reduce infant mortality and other societal ills such as HIV, drugs/alcohol, and mental health.
Recidivism also concerns Halbert, who stresses the importance of re-entry programs for offenders. “If you continue to allow citizens to condemn those individuals for the rest of their lives, then, again, we’re defeating the purpose of prosperity for all.”
When asked if she would dump Godwin since she has publicly criticized him and the police department, Halbert says, “I would ask all department heads to reapply for his/her job, including Godwin.”
Halbert’s complete plan of action is posted on her Web site at
www.halbert4memphismayor.com.
Jerry Lawler
Professional wrestler Jerry Lawler has an 8-point crime plan called “Crime Out!” He said crime is out of control and “knows no boundaries, no race, no gender, and no zip code.”
On his Web site,
www.jerrylawler2009.com, Lawler says additional police officers and reinstating the Metro Gang Unit are necessary components to fighting crime.
The department’s Street Crime Abatement Team (SCAT) was combined with the Sheriff’s Office to form The Metro Gang Unit in 2000. About three years ago, Godwin split with the Sheriff’s Office.
If he’s elected, Lawler says he would tow away junk cars and tear down abandoned houses to discourage vandalism, and take back the neighborhoods by using New York’s “model blocks” program. This could be done by using crime statistics and door-to-door solicitation, he says.
Lawler also recommends a model parenting program to reduce juvenile recidivism, instituting criminal restitution for no-violent offenders, creating a zero-tolerance program to combat drunk driving, improving the clearance rate for burglaries and thefts, boosting police morale, and growing the police force.
Myron Lowery“Crime is everyone’s problem, and everyone must be part of the solution,” says Mayor Pro Tem Myron Lowery.
Lowery’s crime strategy is divided into three categories: preventive and proactive strategies, corrective and proactive programs, and supportive strategies to reduce recidivism.
Under preventive strategies, Lowery says he would keep Blue C.R.U.S.H. and increase community policing. He also says he would develop conflict and anger management programs for at-risk citizens, increase neighborhood watch organizations and after-school programs for youth, and support National Night Out activities and Amber Alerts.
Lowery’s corrective strategies include enhancing local, state and federal sentencing, enforcing existing laws, and increasing incarceration rates to protect citizens.
To reduce recidivism, Lowery points to his supportive strategies to help offenders re-enter society, restore crime victims’ health, resources and hope, and improve the city’s second chance program.
On Oct. 10, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the National Civil Rights Museum, Lowery will host “Gifts with Guns” and “Done with Guns,” two gun safety initiatives he started six years ago to prevent gun violence.
Dr. Kenneth T. Whalum Jr.Dr. Kenneth T. Whalum Jr. has outlined his crime plan on his Web site at www.whalum.com. Whalum says he would not dismantle Godwin’s Blue C.R.U.S.H. initiative, but supplement it with “Operation G.E.D.”
“High-crime areas will be targeted in the same way Blue C.R.U.S.H. sweeps are targeted,” said Whalum, a school board commissioner. “I have met with Juvenile Court Judge Curtis Person and Memphis City Schools Supt. Kriner Cash, and have also discussed it with Police Director Larry Godwin.”
Whalum says at-risk youth with a criminal history would be given two choices: 1) Get a G.E.D. by a certain date; or 2) Go to jail. He says those who get their G.E.D. would be assisted in gaining employment through WHALUM community enhancement initiative using money from the federal stimulus plan.
Whalum also wants to bring police protection back to the neighborhoods. He says relocating major city division offices from City Hall to each council district would bring automatic police protection to neighborhoods. A complement of police officers also would be assigned to each city division office.
Whalum says the principles for which Memphis Youth Manifesto was founded could be adopted for the City of Memphis. In late March, about 300 young people of all ethnicities and economies met and formed a civic engagement organization. They outlined 11 principles for elected officials to create a Memphis where young people could be safe.
One principle is “recreational and entertainment opportunities, which provide necessary alternatives to criminal behavior,” says Whalum. “To that end, several high-profile young Memphis millionaires who made their millions living away from Memphis have committed to doing what they can to provide those alternatives to criminal behavior.”
If elected, Whalum says one of his top priorities would be to rebuild Libertyland and adopt the youth-focused principles found at
www.memphisyouthmanifesto.com.
Whalum says he would lead by example and not stoop to criminal behavior.
“I won’t be a criminal myself!” says Whalum, pointing to the number of elected official snared in sting operations over the last two years.
A C Wharton Jr.Shelby County Mayor A C Wharton Jr. calls one of his planks the Comprehensive Safe Streets Program. A former chief public defender and defense attorney, Wharton says he’s represented thousands in court.
“The best way to fight crime is to make sure our families don’t fall apart,” says Wharton. “Gangs, crack, guns, kids are the most volatile elements you’ll find anywhere, and they’re all converging here.”
Wharton takes credit for birthing Operation Safe Community, a partnership between the Memphis Shelby Crime Commission and the University of Memphis. He touts his knowledge of the criminal justice system and crime prevention and says, “I want to take a proactive approach to crime.”
Wharton says he would strengthen sentencing for illegal guns and augment special intervention programs for juvenile offenders and rehabilitation programs for ex-prisoners.
He also plans to develop an auxiliary police chief in each neighborhood. With special training, they would act as special liaison to the Memphis Police Department.
While MPD’s Crime Stoppers encourages citizens to report crime for a cash reward, Wharton says he would start a “Mobile Neighborhood Watch program of postal workers, MLGW employees, cable television workers, newspaper carriers, and cab drivers that would act as ‘eyes on the street’ and report any suspicious activities to a special hot line.”
In addition, Wharton says he would institute a take-home police car policy to put more cars in neighborhoods and increase police presence to deter crime.
Wharton’s crime platform is posted on his Web site at
www.acwharton.com.
At a glance
According to Operation: Safe Community, a partnership between the Memphis Shelby Crime Commission and the University of Memphis, crime has dropped significantly since 2006.
The Memphis Police Department reported that violent crime dropped by 13.9 percent and property crime by 15.4 percent from Jan. 1 to the end of July 2009 when compared to the same time period in 2006. Overall, crime was down in Memphis by 15.1 percent.
Also, according to the Sheriff’s Office, property crime dropped in Shelby County by 1.8 percent from Jan. 1 to the end of July 2009 when compared to the same time period in 2006. Overall, crime was down 1.3 percent.
Memphis Police Director Larry A. Godwin touts the success of crime fighting initiatives such as Crime Stoppers, which rewards tipsters; Crime Mapper, a public resource system for crime information; Cyber Watch, which provides daily crime reports via email; The Real Time Crime Center, a state-of-the-art facility designed to monitor, evaluate and predict criminal activity; and Operation Blue CRUSH™ (Crime Reduction Using Statistical History), which uses statistical data to pinpoint “hot spots” for crime.
Candidate profilesMayoral election - 2009: Charles CarpenterMayoral election - 2009: Carol ChumneyMayoral election - 2009: Wanda HalbertMayoral election - 2009: Jerry LawlerMayoral election - 2009: Myron LoweryMayoral election - 2009: Dr. Kenneth T. Whalum Jr.Mayoral election - 2009: AC Wharton Jr.
