A former Memphis police officer accused of kidnapping and killing a man while on duty has been indicted on first-degree murder and other felony charges.
Cerelyn “CJ” Davis was confirmed Tuesday afternoon as Memphis’s new chief of police. The City Council’s 12-1 vote makes this the first time a woman has been named top cop in the department.
Her new job begins June 14, succeeding recently retired Police Director Michael Rallings, who spent his entire career as a Memphis police officer.
As the current chief of police in Durham, N.C., she is also a rare external hire in a department where promotions are often rewarded to MPD veterans. Councilmember Martavius Jones made note of that before he cast the lone no vote.
“There are some instances where I think an external candidate would be better,” he said. “The one vote that I have will reflect my personal feeling for this position at this particular time.”
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The next top cop of Memphis would, pending confirmation by the City Council in May, be both the first woman to occupy the position and also a rare external appointment.
Cerelyn “CJ” Davis, the current police chief in Durham, N.C., was revealed as Mayor Jim Strickland’s choice to replace Michael Rallings, who retired last week after a long career in Memphis law enforcement.
“She’s the right person to lead this department here in Memphis,” Strickland said in a video released Monday morning via Twitter. “She has an outstanding career in law enforcement as an officer and as a leader.”
Pool CQ Roll Call, via AP
In this June 16, 2020 file photo, Chief Cerelyn C.J. Davis, president of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives and Chief of Police of the Durham, N.C., Police Department, testifies during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on police use of force and community relations on on Capitol Hill in Washington.
After serving Durham for five years as its police chief, C.J. Davis is leaving the Bull City.
On Monday, it was announced by the City of Memphis, Tennessee, that Davis had been hired as its new chief of police. She is the first woman to lead the department, according to the Memphis Commercial Appeal.
Political analyst Otis Sanford discusses the week in Tennessee politics for April 11-17, 2021.
A recent unemployment bill in the general assembly and the retirement of Memphis Police Director Michael Rallings are discussed in this week s conversation with political analyst Otis Sanford.
The proposed bill in the general assembly would tie the length of unemployment benefits to the state s current average unemployment rate. Republicans argue that in a state where some businesses are hurting for workers, it shouldn t take much longer than 12 weeks for someone to find a new job. Currently, benefits last up to 26 weeks, but the state also has some of the lowest weekly unemployment payments in the country.