The City Council’s public safety committee took the first step toward
possible law enforcement consolidation Tuesday.
The committee approved a resolution brought to them by County
Commissioner Mike Carpenter to create the Memphis and Shelby County
Public Safety Commission. Under a proposal by Carpenter, that
seven-member commission would last only three years and would be
responsible for facilitating talks between the Memphis Police Department
and the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office.
“Whether you’re a proponent of merging the two law-enforcement agencies
or whether you’re an opponent of merging the two law enforcement agencies, this doesn’t do it,” Carpenter said.
Neither side can be forced to agree to anything, but both the sheriff’s
office and the police department have said they are willing to consider
functional consolidation of specific tasks.
