State senator makes new claims against Shelby Co. DA’s Office; Steve Mulroy responds
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - New accusations have been leveled against the Shelby County District Attorney by the state senator, who just last week, called for an investigation into the DA and a local judge over what he called “illegal restorative justice schemes.”
Senator Brent Taylor said DA Steve Mulroy appears to be in bed with liberal justice reform groups, working to eliminate state bail and allow dangerous criminals to roam free.
The freshman state lawmaker told Action News 5 the General Assembly wants more prosecutions and fewer bad guys on the street. That’s why, he said, they approved $17 million to hire more assistant DAs and $50 million to build a new state prison, along with passing blended sentencing to hold juvenile offenders accountable and stricter Truth in Sentencing laws.
He’s worried the Shelby County DA’s attempt to transform the justice system will instead allow the crime crisis in Memphis to escalate.
Mulroy and Taylor have known each other for decades.
They posed for a playful picture together earlier this year for one of Mulroy’s newsletters. But now, the former colleagues on the Shelby County Commission are at odds.
Senator Taylor said the DA’s partnerships with restorative justice groups Justice Innovation Lab, Vera Institute, and Just City, have turned Mulroy into a weak-on-crime prosecutor.
“They all advocate ending cash bail,” said Sen. Taylor, “They all support lenient prosecutions. And they’re opposed to mass incarceration.”
Taylor, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, sent a letter this week to the Tennessee District Attorneys Conference requesting more information about the DA’s agreements with those agencies, and their influence on Shelby County’s judicial system.
The DA’s Office said there is nothing illegal about those relationships.
He also says they’re nothing new.
“My predecessor Amy Weirich had partnerships with outside organizations,” the DA told Action News 5 on Wednesday. “The county itself for years has used as a consultant the Vera Institute, one of the organizations Senator Taylor is upset about. He never said anything about it back then. He’s never criticized that.”
DA Mulroy also said that crime rose steadily over the last decade under his predecessor and that Taylor didn’t raise concerns then.
On Tuesday, in fact, DA Mulroy talked tough when it comes to tackling Memphis’ business burglary epidemic.
“I want people to know that we are taking these smash-and-grab jobs seriously,” Mulroy said during a news conference announcing 12 more arrests. “We’re going to vigorously prosecute. The message should be clear: if you commit these crimes, you will be prosecuted and you will go to prison.”
But Senator Taylor says the DA’s actions aren’t in line with state lawmakers’ tough-on-crime legislation, and something, he said, must change for Memphians to feel safe again.
“What we have in Shelby County, unfortunately, is a progressive DA. But what we need is an aggressive DA,” said Taylor, “We need someone who is serious about prosecuting these people who are committing these crimes and incarcerating them. That’s the only way we’re going to send a message that there are true consequences to their actions.”
Senator Taylor also told Action News 5 he’s also going to introduce legislation to remove General Sessions Court Judge Bill Anderson from his role as supervisor of the judicial commissioners, the people who set bond in Shelby County. Judge Anderson recently allowed a first-degree murder suspect to walk out of 201 on his own recognizance, with no bail, despite the DA’s office requesting a $75,000 bond.
Sen. Taylor said that decision, and the judge’s aversion to setting bail, are unacceptable.
“Our community is in crisis mode,” said Taylor. “We are in a crime crisis and don’t have the luxury of time to see if these restorative justice practices are going to work.”
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