Memphis Police Officer in Stable Condition After Being Shot in Line of Duty

A Memphis Police officer is in stable condition after he was shot in the line of duty early Friday morning, according to the Memphis Police Department (MPD).

“At 4:19 am, officers conducted a traffic stop at 240 southbound near South Parkway. During the stop, an officer notified dispatch he had been shot,” said MPD on X. “The unknown motorist fled the scene. The officer was transported to Regional One critical. This is an ongoing investigation.”

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Federal Judge Blocks Texas Law That Would Allow Law Enforcement to Arrest Illegal Migrants

Illegal Immigrants

A federal judge blocked a Texas law Thursday that allows local police to arrest migrants who cross into the state illegally.

U.S. District Court Judge David Alan Ezra, a Reagan appointee, said in a 114-page ruling that the law, SB 4, “threatens the fundamental notion that the United States must regulate immigration with one voice.” He issued a preliminary injunction preventing the law from taking effect while the case proceeds, finding Texas was “unlikely to succeed on the merits” and noting the government would “suffer grave irreparable harm” if the law took effect.

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Williamson County Interim Sheriff Mark Elrod Says Narcotics, Fentanyl ‘Biggest Issue’ in County

Mark Elrod, who is currently serving as interim sheriff of Williamson County amid former Sheriff Dusty Rhoades’ retirement, said the biggest issues affecting the county in regards to crime are drugs and fentanyl.

“I would say that probably one of our biggest issues is drugs, narcotics, fentanyl. We’ve had an uptick in that as well as heroin over the last several years. With Williamson County, we’re a transient community where a lot of the drugs and other crimes come in from other areas into Williamson County. It’s not so much your next door neighbor or the people down the street, although there is some of that, but most of it is coming from other places…Davidson County, out of Nashville, out of the city of Columbia. We have four interstates that come through the county, so it could be, you know, really coming from anywhere, everywhere,” Elrod said on Tuesday’s edition of The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy.

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Lawmakers Consider Bill to Prevent Arizona Cities from Defunding Local Police Departments

The Arizona House Rules Committee is scheduled to discuss legislation on Monday that would prevent cities from decreasing funding to their local police departments.

Rep. David Marshall, R-Snowflake, is the sponsor of House Bill 2120, and it has already passed the House Military Affairs & Public Safety committee in an 8-7 party-line vote this past Monday.

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Tennessee State Senator Brent Taylor Sponsors Several Crime-Related Bills in Effort to ‘Make Memphis Matter’

State Senator Brent Taylor

Tennessee State Senator Brent Taylor (R-Memphis) announced he is sponsoring several crime-related bills this legislative session in an effort to fight crime and “Make Memphis Matter.”

In a letter to his colleagues in the Tennessee State Senate, Taylor detailed 13 pieces of legislation he is sponsoring and asked his colleagues to consider sponsoring the bills as well.

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State Senator Brent Taylor: ‘If We Don’t Get It Turned Around,’ Memphis will Become the ‘Example of a Failed City’

Brent Taylor

Tennessee State Senator Brent Taylor (R-Memphis) said Memphis will become the “butt of every joke” and the “example of a failed city” if its bail system and crime crisis are not addressed.

Noting how Detroit was once an example of a “failed city” and a “shell of its former self,” Taylor explained what steps the city has taken to reduce crime and how Memphis should follow its lead.

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Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost Spearheading Effort Urging Congress to Stabilize Funding for the Federal Crime Victims Fund

Dave Yost Congress

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost led a bipartisan coalition of 41 other state attorneys general in sending a letter to congressional leaders urging the authorization of bridge funding for the federal Crime Victims Fund, also known as the VOCA Fund.

Created by Congress in 1984, the VOCA Fund provides federal support to state and local programs that assist victims of crime.

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Tennessee State Lawmakers Introduce Bill to Make Blocking a Highway a Class D Felony Offense

Tennessee State Senator Brent Taylor (R-Memphis) and State Representative Jody Barrett (R-Dickson) recently filed legislation to make blocking a highway a Class D felony.

Under current law, it is classified as a Class A misdemeanor when a defendant “intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly” obstructs a public highway, street, sidewalk, railway, waterway, elevator, aisle, or hallway.

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Virginia Legislation to Limit the Use of License Plate Readers Advances

License Plate Reader

A bill to limit and expand law enforcement’s use of license plate readers passed out of a Virginia House subcommittee, sparking questions during a debate about the age-old dance between government overreach and public safety.

House Bill 775 from Del. Charniele Herring, D-Alexandria, would institute statewide regulations governing the use of the technology and enable law enforcement to use them on highways managed by the Virginia Department of Transportation.

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Nation’s Capital Devastated by Crime Spike in 2023

DC Skyline

The District of Columbia experienced a 39% increase in violent crime in 2023, according to data published by its Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

The District has long experienced issues with crime and property theft, despite having the most police officers per capitaof any jurisdiction in the country, due to the significant presence of federal law enforcement to protect the seat of the government of the United States. In 2023, overall crime increased by 26% over 2022, with 34,414 instances of violent and property crime reported to police, with property crime alone rising by 24%.

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Family of Tyre Nichols to Hold Candlelight Vigils to Commemorate First Anniversary of His Death

Candle Light Vigil

The family of Tyre Nichols, who five black Memphis police officers beat following a traffic stop and foot chase last year, will hold two candlelight vigils on Sunday to mark the first anniversary of his death.

Nichols’ family, who is being represented by civil rights attorneys Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci, will hold a vigil in Memphis at the intersection of Castlegate Lane and Ross Road at 7 p.m. CT and in Nichols’ hometown of Sacramento, California, at the Tyre Nichols Skate Park at 5 p.m. PST.

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Gallatin Man Convicted on Charges Stemming from Three-Week Crime Spree in 2019

Lazavion Kern

A Gallatin man has been convicted of multiple armed robbery and firearms offenses stemming from a three-week crime spree in 2019, according to the Middle District of Tennessee U.S. Attorney’s Office.

In December 2019, Lazavion Kern, 22, robbed four convenience stores in Gallatin and Portland, where he took thousands of dollars from the clerks, according to information cited by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

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Murfreesboro Police Releases Body Cam Footage of Officer Shooting Armed Suspect Charging at Him with Two Knives

The Murfreesboro Police Department (MPD) has released the body cam footage of an officer who shot a man armed with two knives charging at him inside Jason’s Deli at The Oaks Shopping Center on N. Thompson Lane.

On Wednesday, Officer Adam Claiborne, a 5-year veteran of MPD, responded to Jason’s Deli regarding an individual who had just attempted to rob the driver of an armored van at an ATM in the same shopping plaza.

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Ramaswamy Unveils Plan to ‘Shut Down the FBI’

Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy on Wednesday unveiled a plan to “shut down the FBI,” an institution that has drawn considerable scrutiny from Republicans amid allegations of political bias at the bureau.

Posted to X, Ramaswamy’s plan outlines three “key problems” affecting the agency. The first, “redundancy & waste,” highlights the 20,000+ employees in either non-essential roles or investigating matters another agency already covers.

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Dramatic Video Shows Law Enforcement Clearing Nevada Highway Blockade, Arresting Climate Activists

A dramatic video recording of law enforcement officers ramming through climate activists’ blockade as they attempted to stop traffic surfaced on Sunday.

Climate activists blocked a road leading into the Burning Man festival in Nevada on Sunday, causing a massive traffic jam, according to multiple reports and to video footage of the incident shared on Twitter. Video footage shared on Twitter appeared to show Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribal Police vehicles smashing through their barricade, and a law enforcement officer drawing his gun and arresting the protesters.

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Gov. Lee Continues Recruiting Out-of-State Law Enforcement Officers to Join Tennessee Highway Patrol

Gov. Bill Lee (R) is once again touting the benefits of becoming a law enforcement officer in Tennessee, as he attempts to recruit out-of-staters to join the Tennessee Highway Patrol.

“Law enforcement officers from across the country recognize that there’s no better place to work, live and raise a family than Tennessee,” Lee said in statement. “Over the past two years, we’ve recruited a record number of troopers to Tennessee’s ranks, and we continue to welcome men and women nationwide to join the Tennessee Highway Patrol.” 

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Virginia School Safety Forum Brings Educators, Law Enforcement Together

More than 1,100 people registered to attend the 2023 Virginia School Safety Training Forum, which will address roughly 20 topics pertaining to school safety and student well-being.

The Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services and its Center for School and Campus Safety partner with several other organizations, including the attorney general’s office and the Virginia Department of Education, to put on the forum, now in its 22nd year.

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U.S. Attorney’s Office in Georgia Organizes Gang and Violence Prevention Program for SROs in Metro-Atlanta Schools

The Northern District of Georgia U.S. Attorney’s Office organized an initiative to provide law enforcement training for more than 40 police officers from school systems in the northern district of Georgia to prevent and reduce delinquency, youth violence, and gang membership.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office partnered with the Georgia Alliance for School Resource Officers and Educators, the Georgia Public Safety Training Center, and the Georgia Gang Investigators Association to provide the officers with Gang Resistance Education and Training (G.R.E.A.T.).

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Gov. Ron DeSantis Visits the U.S.-Mexico Border, Touts Florida’s Approach to Tackling Illegal Immigration

Florida Governor and Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis traveled to the U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona on Wednesday and held a roundtable discussion on border security efforts with sheriffs from across the nation.

During his visit, DeSantis touted efforts taken by Florida to combat illegal immigration within the state and along the southern border, such as relocating illegal aliens who wish to be transported to sanctuary states and cities.

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