Category Archives: Uncategorized

Appeals court rules against Beale sweeps

An appeals court has sided with a federal judge who ruled last year that the city could no longer conduct sweeps to clear people off Beale Street unless public safety requires it.

U.S. District Judge Jon McCalla issued his ruling in June 2015, ostensibly ending a police practice that has existed for years in which officers “sweep” the street to clear people off or push them into clubs, usually in the early morning hours of weekends.

After McCalla’s decision, the city appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. The three-member body handed down its ruling Monday upholding McCalla’s decision.

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Tennessee bill sets penalty for ticket quotas

A bill nearing passage in the Tennessee General Assembly is intended to put an end to police going on ticket-writing sprees to meet ticket quotas.

The Volunteer State already prohibits the practice of ticket quotas. Despite the proactive step taken by the state Legislature in 2010, some say there is “no teeth” to the law because there is no criminal penalty attached to the rule.

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Tennessee bill sets penalty for ticket quotas

Trump signing executive order on policing to ‘build trust’ in law enforcement

President Trump is signing an executive order on law enforcement reform in the wake of the death of George Floyd, an event that tipped off weeks of protests, as the nation grapples with racial disparities in policing and the criminal justice system that have spurred calls as drastic as the dismantling of entire police departments.

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https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-to-sign-exec-order-police

Dwyer’s Shelby County Drug Court saves lives, cuts crime

During a moving ceremony Wednesday, Bryan Owens talked about how he evolved from a 12-year-old criminal to a serious drug abuser to a sober citizen, who is working on a Master’s Degree in social work at the University of Memphis, has a house in Arlington and became engaged over Christmas to his girlfriend of five years.

Owens’ moving presentation came during a celebration by the staff, graduates and supporters of Shelby County Drug Court, which was marking its 20th anniversary.

It is not hyperbole to say the court, founded by General Sessions Criminal Court Judge Tim Dwyer, has been a resuscitator of lives severely damaged by drug use, a crime reducer and a key weapon in criminal justice reform.

Dwyer, a General Sessions judge since 1984, founded the Drug Court in 1997.

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http://www.commercialappeal.com/story/opinion/editorials/2017/02/06/dwyers-shelby-county-drug-court-saves-lives-cuts-crime/97467968/

Class Action Lawsuit Filed Against Shelby County, Tennessee

A new lawsuit details the experiences of 10 people who say they were affected by records problems in the Shelby County criminal justice system.

The lawsuit, which was filed on Christmas Eve [December 2016], alleges the plaintiffs were incarcerated in Shelby County for an “extended and unlawful” amount of time following a major computer system transition in November. A federal lawsuit was also filed in November against Shelby County Sheriff Bill Oldham.

“Shelby County’s overall management of the computer transition was an abject failure,” attorneys Beth Brooks, Patrick Brooks, Matthew Gulotta, Daniel Lofton and Steve Wilson, say in the recent class action complaint.

[This case, which was filed in state court, is one of three filed against Shelby County relating to the jail’s new computer system. The other two lawsuits were filed in federal court.]

For the full article in the Commercial Appeal click here.

See the embedded video (below) from WREG News Channel 3 in Memphis [January 5, 2017] and click here for their full article.

For other TV news coverage [from January 5, 2017], see the following links:

Another lawsuit filed in connection with jail computer glitches

Lawsuits Filed In Shelby County Computer Problems

For additional TV news coverage from the case’s January 12, 2017 initial court hearing, see the following links:

Court Hearing On Lawsuits Over Computer Problems At Shelby County Justice Center

Attorneys request IT expert for lawsuit against Shelby County

Also, a copy of the Complaint, filed in the Circuit Court of Shelby County, Tennessee, can be found below (.pdf format):

CLASS ACTION COMPLAINT FOR DAMAGES UNDER THE TENNESSEE GOVERNMENTAL TORT LIABILITIES ACT AND PETITION FOR TEMPORARY AND PERMANENT INJUNCTIVE RELIEF

Appeals court rules against Beale sweeps

An appeals court has sided with a federal judge who ruled last year that the city could no longer conduct sweeps to clear people off Beale Street unless public safety requires it.

U.S. District Judge Jon McCalla issued his ruling in June 2015, ostensibly ending a police practice that has existed for years in which officers “sweep” the street to clear people off or push them into clubs, usually in the early morning hours of weekends.

After McCalla’s decision, the city appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. That three-member body handed down its ruling Monday upholding McCalla’s decision.

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