Latest news with #OperationRollingThunder
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
MPD arrest over 120 people in Operation Code Zero
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Memphis Police announced they arrested over 120 people, including 77 felons, through Operation Code Zero on Tuesday. This comes after the FBI Director Kash Patel called Memphis the 'homicide capital of America' and MPD announced a new crime operation, Operation Rolling Thunder, designed to target gang activity last week. According to MPD, 'Operation Code Zero' is designed to take on criminals one neighborhood at a time, and it includes multiple sub-operations. The Memphis Police Department said they have also seized illegal firearms, drugs, including fentanyl, towed four cars involved in reckless driving and drag racing, and recovered a stolen vehicle. 'We're taking action to make our streets safer and our communities stronger,' said MPD in a Facebook post. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
City leaders defend crime-fighting efforts after FBI Director comments
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Memphis Police and some community leaders are responding this week after the FBI director called Memphis the 'homicide capital of America.' Just days after the FBI director Kash Patel dubbed the City of Memphis the homicide capital of America, questions arise as to how the city will respond to crack down on crime. 'I'm not going to misrepresent the issues; I want to be clear. We know that we have a crime problem in our community, but I also want everybody to know that we're turning the ship,' Memphis Mayor Paul Young said. City leaders and MPD top brass are rolling out the results of a sweeping law enforcement operation called Operation Rolling Thunder. They call it precision policing, resulting in the arrests of 160 people, including 50 known gang members. To the residents of Memphis, we hear you and we're taking action,' Memphis Police Chief CJ Davis said. 'Not with words, but with results.' 29 of 49 Rolling Thunder suspects already out of jail From MPD to a grassroots effort to stop crime. Community leaders from several different organizations are calling for a Memorial Day cease-fire and a campaign known as 'Put the Gun Down. And Stop the Killing.' 'It's affecting everyone from southeast Memphis, Cordova, Downtown, Midtown, everywhere. Everyone is getting affected by this senseless crime,' said Cam Mtenzi, founder of the House of Mtenzi. 'But I can say this. I'm a strong believer of hope. Faith!' 'Well, we are losing the battle. We have lost three, four generations to senseless gun violence, lack of education, drugs. And I feel like. It's time we must stand now. Our backs are against the wall,' said Keith Leachman, founder of Stop the Killing/Cut the Beef Community Development. Memphis mayor: 'The era of unchecked violence in our city is over' But some other leaders question some of the recent crime-fighting displays and efforts by MPD. Dr. Earl Fisher, senior pastor with Abyssinian Baptist Church, says he and others will be watching closely the actions of MPD as it tries to fight crime. 'We have to be careful and cautious not to confuse public safety with public relations,' Fisher said. 'I know many of us are cautious when we think about task forces, when you think about the specialized units and the history of what happened with Tyre Nichols, knowing that the DOJ is no longer investigating or providing oversight of the police department.' Fisher says the answer to crime and violence is not just hiring more police, but also addressing problems such as poverty and inequality. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Yahoo
Memphis mayor: ‘The era of unchecked violence in our city is over'
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Mayor Paul Young and Police Chief C. J. Davis touted results of recent crime-fighting operations in Memphis on Wednesday. 'The era of unchecked violence in our city is over,' Young said in a news conference focused on arrests made in the city's Rolling Thunder operation. City officials said Operation Rolling Thunder, which ran from April 23 to May 10, resulted in: Over 160 arrests, including 50 known gang members 15 illegal firearms seized, including a Glock switch and extended magazines Seizures of fentanyl and other dangerous narcotics 10 individuals indicted on federal charges, including six gang members A significant decrease in gang-related crimes during the operation's active period 'We don't plan on stopping here. This is just the beginning,' Chief Davis said. Young said the city began seeing a sharp increase in crime and homicides that resulted in 398 homicides in 2023. However, those numbers are down this year. 'We have a crime problem in our community. But I also want everyone to know that the ship is turning, and it's a very big ship,' Young said. Memphis Murder Map 2025 The news conference comes a few days after FBI Director Kash Patel told a Fox News host that Memphis was the 'homicide capital of the U.S.A,' and his agency would be sending additional resources to the city. It also comes on the same day that the Department of Justice announced it has closed its 'Biden-era' investigation into the Memphis Police Department and retracted its findings of constitutional violations. WREG tracked previously covered cases and found that at least 15 apprehended accused gang members have been charged with violent crimes once. In 2021, Tremayne Scales was 15 years old at the time. He was arrested after 16-year-old Emmit Beasley was killed during a funeral procession in north Memphis. Online records show Scales' charges were later dismissed, but the reason is unknown. Recently, two cousins, Martavious Jenkins and La' Cameron Jenkins, were arrested in a deadly domestic violence shooting in Cleoford last month. Young addressed the DOJ's decision at the news conference, saying, 'It really reaffirms the approach that we have embarked upon. It really doesn't change anything as far as our commitment to integrity in policing.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Yahoo
Memphians upset as crime persists despite new crime operation
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — While Memphis leaders work to address the crime crisis in the Bluff City, some Memphis residents aren't convinced enough is being done at the local, state, and federal level. Memphis area agencies conducted a crime-fighting operation known as Operation Rolling Thunder between April 23 and May 10. 160 arrests were made, which included 50 known gang members. However, court records show many of those arrested have been released on bond. Memphis mayor: 'The era of unchecked violence in our city is over' 'It's a good thing, but I hate the fact that with all the crimes that they do, then they can be released,' said Memphis resident Debra Manning. Stevie Moore is the founder of Freedom from Unnecessary Negatives, a nonprofit with a goal to find solutions to crime, gangs, drugs, and lack of education. 'The system to me, is not strong enough,' Moore said. 'And paying for it is just what many these gang members, criminals, and repeat offenders continue to do, bonding out sometimes just days after their arrests.' 'When I get up, when I look at the news, it's three or four different shootings or break-ins or some kind of crime like this,' Manning said. 'So, as I say, once they have incarcerated the ones that has the crime, they need to stay locked down.' Fifteen illegal firearms were seized in the operation, along with fentanyl and other narcotics. 'Now it's different game. It's 13, 14, 15 gang members. And you can't run out into the street and talk to them and tell them to stop like you used to because they'll pull that pistol on you,' Moore said. Memphis Mayor Paul Young said in a press conference Wednesday that it will take continued and ongoing effort to solve the crime problem in the city as they push crime numbers down. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Medal of Honor Month: PFC Lewis Albanese
Private First Class Lewis Albanese was a member of the United States Army, who received a posthumous Purple Heart and the prestigious Medal of Honor for his courageous service during the Vietnam War. View this post on Instagram A post shared by IHG Army Hotels (@ihgarmyhotels) Born in Vincenza, Italy in 1946, Albanese's family immigrated to Washington State when he was a child. He spent his young adult years in the Seattle metropolitan area and worked at Boeing Aircraft Company. But in 1965, Albanese felt a calling to serve his country, and he enlisted in the Army. He completed BCT at Fort Carson, Colorado. Then he joined Company B, 5th Battalion, 7th Cavalry Division, Airmobile. In 1966, Albanese shipped out to Vietnam, where he would valiantly serve his country. Tragically, Albanese lost his life while serving his country. In early 1965, Operation Rolling Thunder began, and the conflict in Vietnam escalated. The U.S. engaged in steady aerial bombardments of North Vietnam, and the north launched numerous counterattacks. To expand U.S. military efforts and slow the spread of communism in the south, President Johnson ordered a surge of troops into the region. Among them was Private First Class Albanese, who arrived in Southeast Asia the following year. As 1966 drew to a close, Albanese and his fellow soldiers were living in constant danger. In the dense Vietnamese jungle, hidden enemy snipers posed a constant threat, and the Americans had to remain vigilant at all times. On December 1st, Albanese and his comrades came under heavy sniper fire, and soon insurgents began to encircle their camp, firing automatic weapons. In the face of the enemy, Albanese took decisive action, attaching a bayonet to his rifle and charging into the fray. He quickly engaged the snipers and killed at least eight of them, even as he ran out of ammunition. Undeterred, he engaged in hand-to-hand combat and killed two more insurgents. But the enemy was numerous and well-armed. Albanese was fatally wounded while fighting in the trench. Despite his sacrifice, he had successfully slowed the enemy's fire, enabling his platoon mates to advance and take down more of the enemy. Private First Class Lewis Albanese was a fearless soldier who went above and beyond the call of duty during his time in Vietnam. His courageous actions on December 1st, 1966, in the middle of a firefight, earned him the Medal of Honor, the highest military award for valor in combat. Despite being outnumbered and outgunned, he killed at least ten insurgents His actions caused the enemy to slow their fire. This allowed his unit to advance. Even after being fatally wounded, Albanese continued to fight until his last breath. On February 16, 1968, Secretary of the Army Stanley Rogers Resor presented Albanese's family with his Medal of Honor during a ceremony at the Pentagon. Learn more about the Congressional Medal of Honor Society at or find them on Instagram |Facebook Participate in Medal of Honor Day on March 25 by sharing a recipient's story Support veteran hiring and transition programs in your workplace Teach younger generations about the values of courage, sacrifice, and service Medal of Honor Month isn't just about recognizing history. It's about keeping the mission alive for the future. Observe Medal of Honor March on We Are The Mighty here.
