| Cerelyn J. Davis | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Davis in 2020 | |
| 13th chief of police of Memphis Police Department | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office June 14, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Michael Rallings |
| 33rd chief of police of Durham, North Carolina | |
| In office June 6, 2016 – June 14, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Jose L. Lopez, Sr |
| Succeeded by | Shari Montgomery |
| Atlanta deputy chief of police | |
| In office February 2014 – June 6, 2016 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1959 or 1960 Fort Bragg, North Carolina, US |
| Spouse | Terry Davis |
| Children | 1 |
| Residence | Memphis, Tennessee |
| Education | |
| Website | Official website  |
| Nickname | C. J. |
Cerelyn "C. J." Davis (born 1959 or 1960) is an American police officer who is the 13th director of police service for the Memphis Police Department. Davis is the Memphis Police Department's first Black female chief. Shortly after accepting her job she required that her title be officially changed to Police Chief.
Early life and education
Davis was born in Fort Liberty into a military family.
Davis has a degree in criminal justice from Saint Leo University. She graduated in 1998 after starting her studies at Georgia Military College; she has a master's degree in public administration from Central Michigan University.
Career
Davis joined the Atlanta Police Department in 1986. In 2006 and 2007 she was Commander of the disbanded Red Dog unit; which used "aggressive crime fighting strategies in high crime areas citywide". She was demoted and then fired from the Atlanta Police Department in 2008 for her alleged involvement in a sex crimes investigation into the husband of an Atlanta police sergeant, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. She was reinstated after an appeal process. In the same year O, The Oprah Magazine, named Davis as one of eighty women forming the O White House Leadership Project, Women Rule!. She became deputy chief of the Atlanta Police Department, and in 2016, became chief of the Durham Police Department in North Carolina . Davis has served as president of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives. In 2020, Davis appeared on Good Morning America calling for "sweeping changes and police reform" following the murder of George Floyd.
Davis was sworn in as the Memphis police chief in 2021. In 2021, she created the Street Crimes Operation to Restore Peace in Our Neighborhoods Unit (SCORPION); which is associated with killing of Tyre Nichols. She is the Memphis Police Department's first Black female chief, and is also the first female police chief of Memphis.
In January 2023, Davis described the killing of Tyre Nichols as being a "defining moment" in the Memphis Police Department's history. She terminated the employment of five police officers associated with Nichols' death.
Personal life
Davis is married; she has one daughter and two grandchildren.
References
- ^ Moore, Mary Helen (27 Jan 2023). "Memphis police chief is NC native and Durham's former chief of police. Who is she?". The News & Observer. Retrieved 2023-01-28.
- "PODCAST REWIND: Cerelyn Davis, Saint Leo Alumna & Memphis Police Chief | Saint Leo University". www.saintleo.edu. Retrieved 2023-01-28.
- ^ McCoy, Mary (2020-10-03). "Leading the Way in Criminal Justice". Spirit Magazine. Retrieved 2023-01-28.
- "Memphis police chief behind the Scorpion unit ran a similarly aggressive squad in Atlanta". NBC News. 2023-02-02. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
- https://www.durhamnc.gov/DocumentCenter/View/9799/Davis-Resume-Final-2016
- Abusaid, Shaddi; Albright, Mandi. "Tyre Nichols case: Memphis' police chief was once fired from Atlanta Police Department". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved 2023-01-28.
- ^ "Tyre Nichols case is 'defining moment' for Memphis chief Cerelyn Davis". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2023-01-28.
- leah (2022-01-26). "A City on the Rise - City of Memphis". www.memphistn.gov. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
- "Davis publicly sworn in as new Memphis Police Chief". FOX13 News Memphis. June 19, 2021.
- "Tyre Nichols: Memphis reckons with police killing by black officers". BBC News. 2023-01-27. Retrieved 2023-01-28.
- "New Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn 'CJ' Davis sworn in, gets to work on first day and new era for department". localmemphis.com. June 14, 2021.