Officer Chris Williams Talks Police at the Rotary Club

Memphis Police Officer Chris Williams spoke at a recent meeting of the Hardeman County Rotary Club and shared his experiences of patrolling the streets of the City of Bolivar and the City of Memphis. Although both cities are different in geographical size, number of officers that patrol the streets, and the types of crime that occurs, Officer Williams noted each city has the same goal of keeping its citizens safe. He also shared some of the programs the city of Memphis is implementing to better protect its citizens, and some ideas of how a police department can better serve its community.

“I started with the Bolivar Police Department working in and around Hardeman County before transitioning to the Memphis Police Department. From working with both departments, I have learned the importance and value of working together and building relationships with Bolivar’s and Memphis’s diverse communities,” said Williams who has 10 years of experience in law enforcement and has worked since March 2022 with the Memphis Police Department in the Public Information Office under Executive Administration. “I try to inspire others through my commitment of service and dedication to the profession. I love law enforcement and take it seriously. It has been my focus since graduating high school and I have spent most of my life giving back to my community.”

After graduating from the Memphis Police Academy, Williams was assigned to the Uniform Patrol Division, where he patrolled Frayser in North Memphis, South Memphis, and Downtown areas. He has been assigned to various specialized assignments as a detective throughout his distinguished career, including as a Detective in the Organized Crime Unit, Narcotics, Vice Unit, Criminal Apprehension Team (CAT TEAM), and the Multi-Agency Gang Unit. In March 2022, Officer Williams was assigned to the Public Information Office under Executive Administration. 

He has served on the Chief of Police Advisory Board since 2020, where they meet to discuss technology, equipment, and law enforcement trends. Officer Williams has been recognized locally and nationally for his service, commitment, and dedication to the law enforcement profession.

Memphis police officers patrol 303 square miles with approximately 630,000 Memphis residents compared to Bolivar’s 8.5 square miles and approximately 5,160 residents.

“There are 103 recruits graduating in the upcoming Memphis class,” said Williams. “The phrase, ‘it takes a village’ is so accurate when it comes to serving the people of the city. The department is always working towards better ways to serve the community we are sworn to protect.”

Williams shared some of the ways the Memphis Police Department is managing those efforts. The Crisis Intervention Training program (CIT), also known throughout the country as the Memphis Model, was born and developed in Memphis, and is a national class offered to police officers. The program was created to train officers on how to manage police calls that deal with people with special needs, mental disorders, and those in crisis.

“Before this program was created, there was no specialized training that helped officers deal with these individuals. Officers would go on calls and be unfamiliar with whatever the case may be and they were not properly trained to assist those people,” said Williams.

Officers go through a one weeklong, scenario-based training that includes role play on how to assist those specific citizens. Williams added that officers are specially selected to participate in the CIT program.

Another way the Memphis Police Department works to combat crime is through its Real Time Crime Center (RTCC), which uses technology. The RTCC is a room of television monitors that have connections to cameras throughout the City of Memphis.

“The center is staffed 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year, and the people who work there are looking for crime. You can’t really go anywhere in Memphis and not see a camera,” said Williams. “If there is a shooting on a particular street, we will call the center and ask for the footage from that area. The information we get from that footage could aid in the investigation of a crime. It helps the officer on the ground coordinate their investigation.”

Williams continued to share that the data collected from the center also helps the department better determine where a heavier officer presence may be needed based on the level and amount of crime in an area.

“We want to send officers in an area to combat crime instead of having them just riding around everywhere,” said Williams. “We can take a more direct approach to how we police. It has been crucial with finding suspects and solving crime.”

Since Williams has had the opportunity to work with a smaller agency like Bolivar as well as Memphis, which is one of the largest agencies in the state, he has been able to learn what both have to offer as well as see many similarities and differences as to how the departments are run.

 “Working in a small town has advantages and disadvantages. The disadvantages are you know everyone, and everyone knows you, and it kind of makes for an awkward Walmart trip seeing someone you dealt with the night before,” said Williams jokingly, but was quick to add a positive. “Since you know everyone, it can help with an investigation, because people are more willing to help “

Another positive Williams shared about working in a small town is being able to see an investigation from the beginning to the end.

“When I went to Memphis and started working, if you answer a call, you take the initial report and pass it off to an investigative unit. You do not really get to see the investigation from A to Z. Unlike many of my peers, coming from Bolivar and working six years as a police officer, I had the benefit and experience of knowing the complete process of working a case.”

In the few years since Officer Williams worked in Bolivar, a lot has changed in the law enforcement profession. There are still criminals, but the types of crimes, and variety have made the streets a bit more dangerous for communities as well as the police officers who patrol those areas. Because of that, the approaches police officers must take to keep citizens as well as themselves safe must change.

“Law enforcement is one of those professions where if you do not change with it, you will be left behind and that is just a fact. The mindset of ‘this is how we have done it for 20 years and we are never going to change’ leads to the everyday operations of a department becoming stagnant. If training and career advancement is not offered internally, officers lose moral and interest in the job. It is guaranteed they will seek employment in another department somewhere else.”

Several years ago, Williams met a group of officers with Cops, Clippers, and Conversations. The members go around to barber shops throughout Memphis and have what Williams describes as “raw, unfiltered conversations” with residents in an area.

“The basis of the conversations is to get an idea of how they are feeling, and we wanted to see how we could bridge the gap between the community and police officers,” said Williams who said the officers learn a lot from the conversations. “You get to learn how they are feeling in that neighborhood, and what is working and is not working. If stuff is not working, you have to be willing to change and grow. Maybe, that is something we could start in Bolivar, not just at barber shops but just in different areas in the county.”

Williams finished by sharing a few characteristics of a successful police department.

“A few things every department needs, big or small, are transparency, a commitment to change, and community engagement,” said Williams. “If you do not have transparency, the community is not going to trust you and they are not going to aid you in investigations. A commitment to be open to change when improvement is needed keeps a department from becoming stagnant. Community engagement helps with the partnership of the community and police officers to work together to combat crime. We are all in this together.”

After graduating from the Memphis Police Academy, Officer Williams was assigned to the Uniform Patrol Division, where he patrolled Frayser in North Memphis, South Memphis, and Downtown areas. He has been assigned to various specialized assignments as a Detective throughout his distinguished career, including as a detective in the Organized Crime Unit, Narcotics, Vice Unit, Criminal Apprehension Team (CAT TEAM), and the Multi-Agency Gang Unit. He has served on the Chief of Police Advisory Board since 2020, where they meet to discuss technology, equipment, and law enforcement trends. Officer Williams has been recognized locally and nationally for his service, commitment, and dedication to the law enforcement profession. Officer Williams is the recipient of numerous awards that include the 2020 Memphis Police Department Officer of the Year, 2019 and 2020 Chief of Police Letter of Commendation, 2021 Police Director Rallings “Best in Blue” Award, 2020 Mid-South Hero Award, and two Lifesaving Medals in 2019 and 2020.

The mission of the Rotary Club is to provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through our fellowship of business, professional, and community leaders.

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