MEMPHIS, TN (abc24.com) - Memphis Police Director Toney Armstrong wants to change the way police fight crime. Armstrong presented a plan to the Memphis City Council that will alter police precinct boundaries.
In Armstrong's plan, every precinct will have the same amount of officers.
The City of Memphis is currently divided into nine precincts, but Armstrong said, "These precincts are not evenly staffed, nor are they evenly divided."
For example, the Old Allen Station in the Frayser-Raleigh area has nine wards, versus Ridgeway Station that has four wards. To even that out, Armstrong said, "Each of our precincts will now have six wards. We've looked at call loads and we're going to level them out across the city."
John Williams, a crime analyst at MPD's Real Time Crime Center, laid out Armstrong's plans to the Memphis City Council which will change precinct boundaries.
For Old Allen Station, which Williams says is perhaps the largest precinct, the southern boundary now is going to be I-240.
For the South Main Station downtown, the eastward boundary now is going to be I-240.
The Union Station, which includes the Medical District, will be part of South Main Station. Williams says the boundary is going to extend north of Jackson Avenue and take over some of the area from Old Allen Station.
Tillman Station will go northward and also and take over extra work from Old Allen Station.
Ridgeway Station in east Memphis is going to extend westward to Airways.
Precinct boundaries at Airways, Raines, Mt. Moriah and Appling Farm Stations will also change.
"This is just our way of being able to manage and give us a better way to manage our resources, manage our personnel, and track our personnel," Armstrong said. "I think the maximum that any precinct would grow is either a half mile or less than a mile one way or the other."
Director Armstrong says these boundary changes will provide a better officer-to-citizen ratio.
The plans are only preliminary plans. Armstrong is asking for community feedback before making a final decision.
