NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Tennessee’s GOP-controlled House have advanced legislation banning Memphis from requiring police officers to live in the county they patrol.
The proposal was initially introduced as a statewide ban. However, the bill was tweaked on the House floor Thursday to only apply to the state’s largest majority-Black city. The proposal must now clear the Senate.
Supporters argue Memphis’ residency requirement for first responders has led to mass staffing shortages, which in turn have contributed to the city’s violent crime rates. Memphis ended 2021 with a record 346 homicides.
However, critics of the bill argue that if first responders can live outside the county, they could take their paychecks back to other communities.
Nationwide, questions have long swirled around whether residency requirements improve relationships between police and communities, though they’ve been in place for decades.