Durham police chief being eyed for top Memphis post. ‘Stars rise,’ says city councilman.
Durham Police Chief Cerelyn “C.J.” Davis is one of eight candidates being considered for the next director of the Memphis Police Department, according to the city of Memphis’ website.
Davis has been Durham’s police chief since June 2016, when she became the first African-American woman to lead the department. She previously served 28 years with the Atlanta Police Department.
In 2019, Davis became the president of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives.
Durham City Council member Mark-Anthony Middleton said Monday he felt saddened by the news of Davis’ possible departure.
“That we haven’t had the type of headlines in Durham that have attended other cities around the country is not totally, but is in large part, due to her leadership,” he said. “I think in large part due to her spot-on reading of what’s important to Durham and Durham values, and translating that into the culture of our police department.”
‘Culture of policing has to change’
In 2020, Davis told members of a Senate committee in Washington, D.C., to “re-imagine” policing by banning choke-holds and creating a national officer-misconduct database. She offered recommendations to the Senate Judiciary Committee on behalf of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives.
Those recommendations included requiring de-escalation training, accrediting police departments and creating a national standard for use of force.
“There are too many agencies in the country that are allowed to pick and choose policies. And I think that’s where inconsistency evolves,” said Davis. “The culture of policing has to change.”
Middleton said Davis did a stellar job when she spoke to the Senate last year.
“It’s no secret that other eyes around the country have been following her. And this isn’t surprising at all,” he said. “It’s disappointing that she may be leaving, but not surprising at all. She’s a star, and stars rise.”
318 people shot in Durham in 2020
A record number of people were shot in Durham in 2020, a year that saw gun violence spike in many cities across the state and the country, The News & Observer has reported.
A total of 318 people were shot in the Bull City last year compared to 189 people in 2019, according to data from the Durham Police Department. That was almost a 70% increase and the most people shot in Durham since at least 2016, when the department began compiling the data.
Overall there were 37 homicides in Durham in 2020 compared to 38 in 2019.
This story was originally published April 5, 2021 at 6:45 PM.