MPD plans to roll out Juvenile Crime Abatement Program amid summer break

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - Summer break is approaching for several school districts across the Mid-South.

Some community members say they aren’t on board with how Memphis police plan to tackle juvenile crime this summer.

MPD Chief CJ Davis said the department still plans to roll out the Juvenile Crime Abatement Program, tentatively next month just as summer vacation begins.

Local organizers like Martyrs Park say they have alternative solutions to the Juvenile Abatement program.

The program received a lot of backlash after first being announced on Twitter back in April.

The focus of it is to ensure minors are not out past curfew, with the Downtown Memphis area being the main focus.

MPD originally said minors caught out past curfew would be taken into custody and their guardian would be notified.

They later said if caught, it wouldn’t be an arrest, but they plan to open the Greenlaw Community Center as a holding space for those minors while their guardians are being notified.

Community members argue MPD is organizing another specialized crime unit nearly 6 months after the death of Tyre Nichols, who died at the hands of an MPD specialized crime unit.

The program does have the support of many city leaders - such as Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland and Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner.

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