The Tennessee General Assembly has had enough of Memphis’ soft-on-crime officials.
To address a city that most Tennesseans avoid like the plague for its lack of safety, the House of Representatives and the Senate have passed HB 483 and SB 443 respectively, which give the attorney general the authority to audit the Shelby County district attorney’s office and replace the DA if deemed appropriate. The audit powers would only apply to this county.
The bill is awaiting Republican Gov. Bill Lee’s signature, according to a report fromWMCon Thursday.
WMC highlighted the actions that the bill would allow the attorney general to take should Lee make it the law:
Essentially, the legislature wants to know why Memphis is so ridden with crime, and why local officials aren’t stopping it.
U.S. News & World Reportplaced Memphis as the most dangerous city in the United States for its 2025-2026 rankings.USA Todayranks it second behind New Orleans, Louisiana.
Per WMC, the attorney general can prosecute the current Shelby County DA Steve Mulroy if sufficient evidence is found that his office was not enforcing current laws.
Mulroy’s office released a statement complaining about the bill.
“The bill targets Shelby County only for unprecedented, intrusive oversight of a locally elected DA by an unelected Attorney General, without providing any basis for treating Shelby County differently,” the statement said.
“It singles out federal task force cases for special treatment, even though Tennessee law provides no basis for treating those cases any differently than the many cases brought independently by local law enforcement,” it continued.
Source: VidNews » Feed
