Memphis Deputy Police Chief Lives in Georgia: MPD

MEMPHIS, Tennessee – The deputy chief of the Memphis Police Department lives in Georgia, the MPD said.

Shawn Jones, Deputy Director of Police Services, retired from the Atlanta Police Department in 2016 and joined the MPD in September 2021. His current salary is $177,768 per year.

Memphis police confirmed Tuesday that Jones’ primary residence is still in Georgia. However, they did not provide information on whether he has a home in Memphis or how much time Jones spends in Memphis rather than another state.

“Tennessee state law does not allow for residency restrictions for first responders,” Lt. Louis C. Brownlee said in an email to WREG on Tuesday.

This state law was passed in March 2022. Before the law went into effect, MPD officers were required to reside in Shelby County.

Local law enforcement agencies supported the change to increase the number of officers.

Atlanta is nearly seven hours from Memphis by car and one hour and 15 minutes by plane.

WREG has asked Police Chief CJ Davis for a response.