When to call 911 and when to use non-emergency lines in Memphis, Shelby County
This video explains the importance of knowing when to call 911 for emergencies and when to use non-emergency lines for less critical situations.
- Grants can fund security cameras, lighting, National Night Out events, youth programs, and community gardens.
- The deadline to apply is May 15, and groups must attend a grant workshop to be eligible.
- There are virtual and in-person workshops available throughout February, March, and April.
The deadline for neighborhood watch groups to apply for grants is approaching, and the Memphis Police Department wants groups around Memphis to attend its grant workshops so they can apply.
The grants can be used to purchase lighting, cameras, pay for National Night Out events and to start programs. The deadline to apply is 4 p.m. on May 15.
“We get asked all the time, ‘What can community members do to help? What can I do to have an active role in helping MPD?'” Officer Theresa Carlson, a public information officer with MPD, said in a phone interview. “This is it. Be a nosy neighbor. Be involved. Watch out for your neighborhood. Neighborhood watch is the way to do that.”
Neighborhood watch groups are eligible for up to $2,500 in grant funding, but Danielle Boothe, the neighborhood watch program manager, said the funding is based on the expenses in the grant pitch.
“People are getting cameras,” Boothe said. “They are receiving lighting. They are receiving signage for their neighborhoods. They are receiving funding to be able to do youth programs. They’re receiving funding to be able to do community gardens. They’re receiving funding to be able to pretty much do any type of resident-led project that they want to do that can directly impact crime.”
Boothe said there are currently 210 active neighborhood watch groups in Memphis. In total, including those that are not active, there are 407.
Neighborhood watch groups have to be trained by a neighborhood watch coordinator and an MPD officer to be set as an official group.
To apply for a grant, neighborhood watch groups must attend a grant workshop with MPD. There are two virtual workshops — one on March 19 at 6 p.m. and another on April 16 at 10 a.m. — and seven in-person workshops.
The in-person workshops will be hosted on:
- Feb. 12 at 10 a.m. at MPD’s Austin Peay Station, located at 3430 Austin Peay Highway
- Feb. 26 at 1 p.m. at MPD’s Raines Station, located at 791 East Raines Rd.
- March 11 at 1 p.m. at Officer Geoffrey Redd Library, located at 5094 Poplar Ave.
- March 26 at 1 p.m. at MPD’s Tillman Station, located at 426 Tillman St.
- April 12 at 2 p.m. at the Benjamin L. Hooks Library in Room C, located at 3030 Poplar Ave.
- April 30 at 6 p.m. at MPD’s Mt. Moriah Station, located at 2602 Mt. Moriah Rd.
- May 6 at 2 p.m. at MPD’s Airways Station, located at 2234 Truitt St. (for established groups only)
“These grants can really assist neighborhood watch groups in being able to take initiative in their communities, in their areas, and really make them effective,” Boothe said. “Starting a neighborhood watch group definitely is the first step. Then the grant is there to be able to assist you in getting your feet wet and getting initiatives that you want to get off the ground.”
Neighborhood watch groups can register for grant workshops and learn more by emailing Boothe at [email protected] or by reaching out to Audra Lanehart at [email protected].
Lucas Finton covers crime, policing, jails, the courts and criminal justice policy for The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached by phone or email: (901)208-3922 and [email protected], and followed on X @LucasFinton.
