Memphis police face review over use of deadly force

Justice Department will review city’s policing policies.

The Justice Department has launched a comprehensive review of the Memphis Police Department, officials said Wednesday, after citizens criticized the department’s use of deadly force and its treatment of the black community.

Federal and local offi- cials announced the details during a news conference at the office of U.S. Attorney Edward Stanton III in Memphis.

Mayor Jim Strickland and Police Director Michael Ral- lings said the city invited federal authorities to review the department’s policies involving community-oriented policing and the use of deadly force, in efforts to undertake collaborative reform of the department.

The announcement comes a month after the Justice Department completed its review of the fatal shooting of a 19-year-old black man by a white police officer in July 2015.

The review found insufficient evidence to charge offi- cer Connor Schilling with civil rights violations in the shoot- ing of Darrius Stewart. Schil- ling shot Stewart twice during a fight that began when Schilling tried to arrest Stewart on an active warrant at a traf- fic stop.

The independent review will require cooperation and engagement from community members, city govern- ment leaders and the police department — including rank- and-file officers, said Noble Wray, an official with the Justice Department’s Office of Community Oriented Polic- ing Services.

Wray said the purpose of collaborative reform is to improve trust between law enforcement agencies and the communities they serve.

“It is not a short-term solution for serious deficiencies, but rather a longterm strategy that first identifies issues within the department, and then you start to work on specific strategies and approaches to build trust with the community,” Wray told reporters at the news conference.

Fourteen other cities are undergoing similar reviews, including San Francisco, Milwaukee and North Charleston, S.C. Wray said the Memphis review will take about two years and will make recommendations for reform. Reports will be made public during the review and when it is completed, he said.

“You really do open yourself up to a lot of scrutiny,” Wray said. “These reports sometimes can be pretty harsh.”