MEMPHIS, TN (abc24.com) - More people have been murdered in Memphis so far this year compared to the same time last year.
"Murder Memphis," that's the nickname people across the country have given the Bluff City. Homicides are up so far this year, but does that mean Memphis is a dangerous place to live"
"The FBI considers Memphis a dangerous city," noted Michael Williams, President of the Memphis Police Association. "Forbes Magazine lists Memphis as the 2nd most violent city in the nation."
He contends that when people feel they have no hope, they commit crimes and those crimes sometimes result in someone being murdered.
"We have a lot of individuals with felonies in this city. They can't get a job so they resort to what they know and a lot of times that's criminal activities," said Williams.
So far this year those criminal activities have included 12 homicides committed in January, seven in February, six in March, 15 in April, nine in May, and two so far in the first week of June.
Williams says, "It's a mess," and the solution to cleaning up that mess, "we need more boots on the ground… police presence actually deters crime."
According to Williams, the ability of police officers to patrol the streets of Memphis is handicapped.
"When you only have enough officers on the streets to respond to calls they you don't have enough to be proactive."
When that happens crimes go up, and so do the homicides.
When it comes to solving homicides the Memphis Police Department is doing a good job. The MPD has solved 82 percent of all homicide cases so far this year.
