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Lucas Finton
@LucasFinton
U of M Grad | Criminal justice reporter at
@memphisnews
| Retweets are not endorsements | Any and all tips welcome at Lucas.Finton@commercialappeal.com
Grand Blanc, MI ✈️ Memphis, TNlmfinton.wixsite.com/mysiteBorn January 28Joined June 2013
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Lucas Finton
@LucasFinton
The officers that beat Tyre Nichols were part of MPD’s SCORPION Unit — first billed as a unit targeting violent crime. Most of it’s arrests were for non-violent crime, and many began with traffic stops. And when those cases got to court, most were dropped.
commercialappeal.com
MPD's SCORPION Unit was billed as a violent crime-fighting unit, but most of its cases were traffic...
SCORPION Unit was billed as a unit to fight violent crime. But most arrests made by its officers were non-violent, and many began with a traffic stop.
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Lucas Finton
@LucasFinton
A local defense attorney says a new state law taking the power to handle collateral review of death penalty cases from local DAs, and giving them to the TN. AG is unconstitutional. DA Mulroy agrees, and has adopted the attorney’s motion against the state.
commercialappeal.com
Shelby Co. DA joins effort to stop state AG from taking control of post-conviction death penalty...
Shelby County DA Steve Mulroy has adopted a defense attorney's motion to stop law allowing the state AG from taking over death penalty reviews.
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Lucas Finton Retweeted
Laura D. Testino 〽️
@ldtestino
KIPP Memphis Academy Middle will close, leaving the longtime charter operator with three Memphis locations. The school was on the state's priority list and spared closure by the MSCS board in December //
@LucasFinton
commercialappeal.com
KIPP Memphis Academy Middle will close in June, more than 200 students to be moved
KIPP Memphis Academy Middle will permanently close its doors in June, according to a WARN notice filed with the State of Tennessee.
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Lucas Finton Retweeted
Evan Barnes
@evan_b
My former job has been posted. If you want to work in Memphis, cover a great football team and assist with the Grizzlies, go ahead and apply. Great opportunity.
@NABJSports
@NAHJ
@AAJAsports
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Mark Giannotto
@mgiannotto
JOB ALERT: The Commercial Appeal is looking for a Memphis football beat writer who will also play a big role in our Memphis Grizzlies coverage. us231.dayforcehcm.com/CandidatePorta
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Lucas Finton Retweeted
Katherine Burgess〽️
@KathsBurgess
I asked all of the currently announced Memphis mayoral candidates questions about policing after the death of Tyre Nichols. Here's what they (minus two) had to say: What Memphis mayoral candidates have to say on policing, public safety after Tyre Nichols
commercialappeal.com
What Memphis mayoral candidates have to say on policing, public safety after Tyre Nichols
Ten candidates for Memphis mayor answered questions from The Commercial Appeal about how they would address policing and public safety if elected.
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Lucas Finton
@LucasFinton
Public safety and questions over the future of MPD polices Memphis seem awfully timely for this Memphis mayoral race. A long, but incredibly worthwhile set of pieces from
@KathsBurgess
, who is always worth the read.
commercialappeal.com
What Memphis mayoral candidates have to say on policing, public safety after Tyre Nichols
Ten candidates for Memphis mayor answered questions from The Commercial Appeal about how they would address policing and public safety if elected.
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Lucas Finton Retweeted
Memphis Police Dept
@MEM_PoliceDept
At 2:28 p.m., officers responded to a shooting in the 3600 block of Bellbranch Dr. One male was pronounced deceased on the scene. One male was transported non-critical to ROH. Two individuals are detained on the scene. This is an ongoing investigation.
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Lucas Finton
@LucasFinton
Not mentioned in the story, but something I found interesting when speaking to folks in Nashville, is that the BCC did not get the grand opening DCSO Sheriff Hall wanted due to the pandemic. But tours of the BCC have been picking up in recent years through word-of-mouth.
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Lucas Finton
@LucasFinton
I was able to tour the BCC a few weeks ago, and was struck by a map that is on the wall when you first walk in. It’s a little hard to see, but there are pins on each city/county that has toured the BCC. Columbus, OH is currently building a similar program after visiting the BCC.
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Lucas Finton
@LucasFinton
Nashville’s Behavioral Care Center, an alternative to criminal prosecution for those with mental health conditions, opened 3 years ago. Data points to the program’s success, which focuses on getting people help. Now Shelby Co. could get a similar program.
commercialappeal.com
Nashville's jail opened its mental health facility 3 years ago. Now Shelby Co. could get a similar...
Nashville's jail opened a mental health facility three years ago. Officials from Shelby Co. plan to tour it, and hope to create a similar one.
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Lucas Finton Retweeted
Jason Munz
@munzly
Completely blown away by this. Honored and humbled.
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APSE
@APSE_sportmedia
Jason Munz of The Commercial Appeal in Memphis, Tenn., won first place in the 2022 Associated Press Sports Editors contest in the Division C Beat Writing category for his coverage of University of Memphis men’s basketball. apsportseditors.com/jason-munz-of-
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Lucas Finton Retweeted
Sam Hardiman
@samhardiman
MPD could stymie a lot more questions about this policy if the department could articulate the events and the data that drove the decision to take kids to a defunct community center if they violate a seldom-enforced curfew law. Have a news conference. Let reporters ask away.
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Katherine Burgess〽️
@KathsBurgess
Thread on juveniles + MPD + questions for Chief Davis. In a media huddle a few minutes ago, I tried to ask Chief Davis to quantify exactly what kids we are talking about being out after dark—are they teens or the oft-mentioned 8-9 year-olds?
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Lucas Finton
@LucasFinton
MPD will take kids out after curfew to Greenlaw Community Center. This one has been updated from this morning with added info from Davis tonight by way of
@KathsBurgess
questions, who pressed Davis about quantifying the age ranges MPD sees out past curfew:
commercialappeal.com
Memphis police will take kids out past curfew to a community center, chief says
Once repairs are finished on the Greenlaw Community Center, it will be where MPD officers will take kids out past curfew, Chief Davis said Tuesday.
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Lucas Finton
@LucasFinton
In a press conference this afternoon, attorney Ben Crump put a dollar sign by the lawsuit: $550 million, $10 million for every year since MLK’s assassination, hoping to make it “financially unsustainable” for another Tyre Nichols-style death to happen.
commercialappeal.com
Tyre Nichols' family files lawsuit against MPD, citing multiple forms of negligence
The lawsuit, which was hinted at in January, was filed Wednesday. It cites "red flags" in hiring Davis, and in the SCORPION Unit's creation.
Lucas Finton
@LucasFinton
“Lt. Smith went to see RowVaughn and Rodney,” Romanucci says. “The entire conversation was entirely filled with deceit while their son was yards away. That’s why our goal is to make widespread systemic change.”
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Lucas Finton
@LucasFinton
“Tyre died with dignity, which is more than we can say about anyone in MPD or the City of Memphis,” he said. “They beat him, they ignored him, they mocked him, they took pictures of him, and let’s not forget they lied. Who did they lie to? They lied to mom.”
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