Memphis mayor appoints CJ Davis as interim police chief; reappointment vote tabled

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - Hours before the highly-anticipated city council vote on whether to keep or replace Memphis Police Chief CJ Davis, Memphis Mayor Paul Young has appointed Davis as interim police chief, tabling the reappointment.

Memphis City Councilman Ford Canale confirmed the decision Tuesday afternoon.

The decision came as a surprise to some after a committee vote to reject her re-appointment just two weeks ago.

“Young Black people as well as the Memphis community at large, do not want an appointment of CJ Davis,” said one speaker.

In the meantime, City Council Chairman JB Smiley says Davis will remain as chief, but in an interim capacity.

“They [the public] don’t care about this,” said Councilman Smiley. “The only thing people care about is, what are doing to reduce crime? What are we doing to save lives?”

After a meeting behind closed doors with police officers and the Memphis Police Association, Young says there’s work to do inside the department and outside, but did not waver in his support. He also says there will be no search for a replacement.

“She is our chief,” said Mayor Young. “It’s just an interim title. This is our chief. We’re going to show and prove. We wanted to get results. There were a lot of questions at the last meeting. We worked with council to find a middle ground and what we decided is that we can table that item and we can get to work.”

The chief was grateful for the support from community members who showed up in numbers Tuesday, promising a commitment to a city that just came off a year with one of the highest crime rates in the country.

“I love this community,” said Davis. “And I’ve served 2 1/2 years from my heart to this community, and I plan to continue to do that. There’s a lot of work that needs to be done, but this community is willing to help us get the work done.”

There’s no clear timeline on when a vote to reappoint Chief Davis will be.

We’ve been told by city leaders it could be in six months or not until they reach a “compromise.”

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