MPD cancels Level 3 alert status

After spending two weeks in a heightened security posture, Memphis police downgraded their alert status Monday to its normal level.

The change from Level 3 to Level 1 status means that officers are now back on regular schedules, including regular days off. For the 14 days that the Memphis Police Department was at Level 3, all days off were canceled, although those with previously scheduled vacation were allowed to take that time off.

“Everyone who was (not) scheduled to work Monday and Tuesday now have off days,” MPD spokesman Louis Brownlee said.

The change came just days after some in the community criticized the heightened posture, calling it unnecessarily aggressive. Officers with AR-15 rifles stood guard outside the Criminal Justice Center Downtown Friday morning.

One of those condemning that aggressive approach was Earle Fisher, pastor at Abyssinian Baptist Church.

“I would be curious to find out their rationale for lowering the threat level. As far as we can tell, nothing has changed within the framework of the city,” Fisher said. “I don’t think much has changed. But it’s hard to tell whether our voices have been heard. But we would hope us voicing discontent and the concern of everyday citizens didn’t fall on deaf ears.”

MPD spokeswoman Karen Rudolph said the department decided to lower the status after having daily conferences to monitor events around the country.

“They would evaluate the staffing every day,” she said. “It was through discussion that (they decided) on Monday to go to Level 1. That could change. They still evaluate everything going on nationally.”

The heightened alert status began the night of July 10, when more than 1,000 protesters shut down traffic on the Hernando

DeSoto bridge for more than four hours.

Although that incident remained peaceful, it came as part of a nationwide series of events that included other, less peaceful protests as well as the killing of eight law-enforcement officers in separate incidents in Dallas and Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Memphis police said the Level 3 status was a reaction to the nationwide threats, not anything specific to Memphis.

Memphis police union spokesman Mike Williams said Monday’s decision will allow officers to “rejuvenate,” without maintaining such a hypervigilant status to watch out for threats.

“Now they can spend a little time with their families, wind down and get some rest. Some officers have worked up to 20-some days in a row. It’s good for them to be able to rest their bodies and minds, and at least have two days off to rejuvenate themselves,” he said.