Delivering Results: Shelby County DA’s Office Releases Annual Report Highlighting Progress and the Path Forward
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Shelby County, TN – The Shelby County District Attorney’s Office has released its 2024 Annual Report, showcasing a year of measurable progress in public safety, justice reform, and efficiency in the criminal justice system. The report, released today, provides data-driven results, demonstrating that the office’s innovative strategies have reduced crime, improved case processing times, and strengthened community trust.
"Our office has worked tirelessly to implement initiatives that prioritize both safety and fairness," said District Attorney Steve Mulroy. "The numbers in this report prove what we’ve been saying all along—when you focus on real solutions instead of fear-mongering and misinformation, you get real results. We are on the right track, and our work is far from over."
Key Highlights from the 2024 Annual Report:
✅ Crime Reduction Across the Board
Overall crime: ⬇️ 10.4% (2023-2024)
Violent crime: ⬇️ 2%
Property crime: ⬇️ 20.3%, including a 31% drop in auto thefts
✅ Strategic Public Safety Initiatives
V11 Initiative: Prioritizing 11 categories of violent crime for faster prosecution and tougher bail recommendations.
CARS Program: Targeting youth offenders involved in car thefts and break-ins with intervention programs to prevent escalation into violent crime.
Meaningful Supervision: Embedding rehabilitation requirements (mental health treatment, job training, GED programs) into plea agreements to reduce recidivism.
✅ Speedier Justice & System Improvements
Launched the “The State Is Always Ready” policy, preventing unnecessary trial delays.
Achieved a 60% increase in jury trials compared to 2023.
Eliminated the backlog in body cam video processing, cutting delays from months to real-time efficiency.
Exceeded the total number of jury trials from all of 2023 by August 2024.
✅ Justice & Fairness
Successfully prosecuted high-profile cases, securing convictions in the murders of Liza Fletcher, Young Dolph, and John Materna ("The Watermelon Man").
Expanded diversity in staffing, now operating with the most diverse legal team in the office’s history.
The Justice Review Unit overturned wrongful convictions and conducted unbiased officer-involved shooting reviews.
"We have made great progress in making Shelby County safer and more just," DA Mulroy added. "But we know there is still work to do. We will continue to focus on what works—strategic crime reduction, fair prosecutions, and real justice for our community."