Throughout the month of June, MPD’s Organized Crime Unit and Multi-Agency Gang Unit led Operation Pressure Point, an operation focused on identifying violent offenders, recovering illegal firearms, and removing deadly drugs across Memphis. The operation also included efforts to connect at-risk repeat offenders with resources through the Group Violence Intervention Program.

Operation Pressure Point was a collaborative effort that brought together MPD officers and local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to focus on individuals contributing to violent crime. The operation led to 246 arrests, including 208 felony arrests and 36 misdemeanor arrests. 22 search warrants were also executed with 117 outstanding warrants cleared and 37 documented gang members arrested.

Officers also recovered 60 firearms, including 35 handguns, 23 long guns, and two illegally modified conversion devices, commonly known as “switches”. Officers also seized approximately 21 pounds of marijuana, more than 15,000 pills, 270 grams of fentanyl, and $51,515 in cash from criminal activity.

One of the goals of Operation Pressure Point was to reduce retaliatory gun violence. “For the month of May, we saw an increase in retaliatory shootings, and our goal was to reduce gun violence in Memphis,” said Organized Crime Unit’s Colonel Gates. “This goes to show that what we did worked. During Operation Pressure Point, we saw a 19% reduction.”