The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office increased its presence in shopping areas on Friday in what the law enforcement body calls Operation Jingle Bells, an effort to deter crime in public spaces during the busy holiday shopping season.
A press release posted to social media explained a “high concentration” of law enforcement will focus on primary shopping areas to “deter car break-ins, shoplifting,” and to keep traffic flowing and parking lots safe for shoppers.
The sheriff’s office is working with law enforcement from Barlett, Collierville, Germantown, and the Memphis Police Department, as well as the Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP).
@ShelbyTNSheriff is pleased to announce the start of OPERATION JINGLE BELLS, beginning Friday, Nov. 24, and running through Sunday, Dec. 31. This will be a five-week detail designed to increase law enforcement visibility in shopping areas throughout the Christmas holidays. pic.twitter.com/sRUTp1Ugw6
— ShelbyTNSheriff (@ShelbyTNSheriff) November 24, 2023
The public safety initiative to protect holiday shopping was launched by the sheriff’s department as Memphis suffers from a surge in crime in 2023.
Data from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation that was released by the University of Memphis Public Safety Institute and Memphis Shelby Crime Commission revealed that Shelby County has experienced a 9.6 percent increase in overall crime, driven by a 26 percent increase in major property crimes and 5 percent increase in violent crime since 2022.
Memphis Shelby Crime Commission President Bill Gibbons told Action News 5 in early November that “vehicle thefts are really the driving force behind the increase in property crimes,” while “robberies are the driving force in the increase in violent crimes.”
In addition to aiding Memphis during the holiday season, Governor Bill Lee (R) on Monday ordered an increased THP presence on highways and interstates in Shelby County to help curb the rise in crime. Lee made the announcement shortly following the murder of St. Jude’s Research Hospital employee Alexander Bulakhov, who was shot and killed during a mugging after the assailant pointed a weapon at Bulakhov’s wife. The couple’s daughter witnessed the shooting.
While Lee commended THP officers for working to improve public safety, he also stressed the importance of local officials holding criminals accountable after their arrest.
Memphis Mayor-elect Paul Young (D) acknowledged that a small portion of residents is “terrorizing” the city’s population, and pledged to launch “a hard-hitting crime plan” in his first 100 days in office, adding that it will “combat this lawlessness” through “a multi-pronged, hard hitting, and focused effort” to restore the city’s reputation.
The Memphis Police Department (MPD) suffered a 22.6 percent decrease in its number of officers since 2011, decreasing from 2,449 a decade ago to just 1,895 at the end of 2022. The city has grown by about 3.8 percent over a similar time period.
Likewise, Bonner recently told local media the sheriff’s department needs 150 more deputies on patrol and 490 more jailers for the county’s jail.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Georgia Star News, The Virginia Star, and the Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
