Will GPS Devices Be Installed in Memphis Police Cars?

The idea of a Global Positioning System, or GPS, goes at least as far back as the 1970s. Today’s system, which utilizes numerous satellites to pinpoint the exact location of a GPS device small enough for a person to carry in his pocket, became fully functional in the 1990s. It is maintained by the US government; sister systems are being or have been developed in China, Russia, India, and Europe.

You would think, then, that such a system would be widely used by all government agencies in the United States. That’s not the case, though, especially when it comes to local governments. Take the city of Memphis, Tennessee, for example.

Memphis Police Department: The Facts

The Memphis Police Department staffs over 2,400 officers and covers an area over 300 square miles in size. Divided into at least eight precincts, the department provides a wide variety of investigative services, including homicides, domestic violence, sex crimes, missing persons, and so on. The department’s Mission Statement reads, “Our purpose is to create and maintain public safety in the City of Memphis. We do so with focused attention on preventing and reducing crime, enforcing the law, and apprehending criminals.” And the department’s Vision Statement is “to create and maintain for the City of Memphis an environment of public safety recognized for its compassion and responsiveness to the needs, rights and expectations of all citizens, employees and visitors.”

In the first decade of the twenty-first century, the city installed more than a dozen red light cameras in order to cut down on the number of people who run red lights and, as a result, reduce the number of accidents, injuries, and deaths at Memphis intersections. According to a resolution passed in 2009, revenues from the red light cameras were to be used to purchase dashboard cameras and GPS devices for the city’s squad cars.

It’s been tough, though, for the city to actually make those improvements happen. Why? Like many other localities, finances have been a big problem since the turn of the century. In July 2013 Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasurer Justin Wilson wrote the city’s leaders, warning them that Memphis was in dire financial straits—and that the city’s problems went back nearly twenty years. Since that warning, the city has worked to solve its financial problems, but dashboard cameras and GPS devices for squad cars may fall victim to the tightened budgets.

A Little History

Here’s a timeline of events related to police department GPS devices and dashboard cameras in Memphis.

• July 2009: Resolution passes stipulating that revenues from red light cameras be used to obtain GPS devices and dashboard cameras for Memphis Police Department squad cars.


• March 2013: The city council clarifies the resolution, stipulating that 50 percent of red light camera revenues were to be used for dashboard cameras and GPS devices.


• July 2013: Comptroller Wilson warns the city leaders of the serious financial difficulties they are in.


• February 2014: Memphis Mayor A. C. Wharton calls for installation of the cameras and GPS devices.

Wharton believes that installing the devices will increase departmental efficiency, protect officers, and save lives. In the city’s current system, when police dispatchers are informed of a crime in progress, they must “poll” patrol cars to determine who is closest to the scene of the alleged crime, resulting in wasted time. A GPS device in each car would enable them to spot the closest officers immediately, cutting down on lost time and resulting in more arrests.

In addition, dashboard cameras would provide hard evidence of what actually occurs during a traffic stop, an arrest, or any other event involving officers. The mayor indicated that the city has to spend money each year paying off judgments against the department based on “false claims.” A camera in each car, recording events as they unfold, could cut down on such claims, providing incontrovertible evidence of exactly how events unfolded.

Interestingly, a similar measure in Boston, Massachusetts late in 2013 met with resistance from officers. They did not like the idea of having such devices in their squad cars and being tracked everywhere they went, day and night.

How this will all pan out in Memphis remains to be seen at the time of this writing. Will funds be able to be allocated for the GPS devices and dashboard cameras? Will the officers accept them if they’re installed? Keep your eye on Memphis as the story continues.

Timeline: A History of the Memphis Police Department

Year	Event
1827	First town constable, John Balch, appointed
1867	First African American men hired as turnkeys
1873	City council honored department for remaining on duty during yellow fever outbreak
1932	Memphis dubbed “Murder Capital of the World” with over 100 homicides that year
1968	Assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King in Memphis
1973	Two unions form: Memphis Police Association and Afro-American Police Association
1986	Implementation of Operation Involvement to improve police/citizen relations
1992	First African American Police Chief, Eddie B. Adair
1998	First female Deputy Chief, Brenda Harris Jones
2000	New squad car design unveiled
2009	Revenues from red light cameras to be used to equip squad cars with GPS technology

 

Will GPS Devices Be Installed in Memphis Police Cars?