Season 3: Episode 1: Juvenile Crime Abatement
On April 14, the Memphis Police Department posted a video on its social media channels, entitled “Juvenile Crime Abatement Program.” In the video, which featured the deputy chief of MPD and the commander for MPD’s Downtown Precinct, the two officers introduce the program which is describe as a response to the “influx of juveniles gathering on weekends in Downtown Entertainment District”
Here’s the Video.
The Commercial Appeal first reported about the video introduction on the same day and included details from a related PowerPoint presentation or “unapproved rough draft” about Juvenile Crime Abatement Program, including how unattended children would be profiled and why as well as turning over detained children to DCS if their parents failed to pick them up from custody.
The CA article and subsequent news reports generated a backlash against the program, which was quickly iced in favor of more communication. But Mayor Jim Strickland and the Memphis Police Department have made it clear that the enforcement of curfews would still occur.
