The Memphis Police Department accounts for 40 percent of the city's budget. Reporter Beth Warren explains the price tag and the product.
This week, in a special six-part series, the Commercial Appeal is looking into different areas of government that impact the city's budget, now and long into the future. In her section about the Memphis Police Department, Warren boldfaces a chronic problem: while the size of the department is comparable to peer cities like Milwaukee (population-wise), the department also deals with unique problems.
First, Memphis has had a higher than average crime rate for decades, driven by high poverty. Also, there is simply more area to police. As a result of aggressive annexation followed by middle class flight, the population and tax base has shrunk while the amount of ground to cover has widened, diluting the strength of a "critical mass" approach to law enforcement originally advocated by former Mayor Willie Herenton.
Warren spoke with us about this part of the series, which continues through Friday.
