MEMPHIS, Tenn. — In early 2022, as violent crime rose in Memphis, Mayor Jim Strickland set out his ideas for returning safety to the city.
At the top of his plan: increase funding to the Memphis Police Department, give raises and bonuses to officers, and continue the usage of the city’s newly formed “SCORPION Unit,” a specialized group of four roving 10-person teams that use data to target high-crime neighborhoods with the goal of addressing homicides and other violent crime.
In just a few months, Strickland said the unit had made 566 arrests and seized more than 250 weapons.
