Anthony Buckner, Democratic candidate for Shelby County Sheriff and current Chief Deputy, addressed various topics, including his priorities for the Sheriff’s Department if elected, the Memphis Safe Task Force’s effects on the overcrowding at the jail, whether he supports a new jail facility, and more, during this week’s WKNO/Channel 10 “Behind the Headlines.”
In the discussion led by host Eric Barnes and Daily Memphian reporter Bill Dries, Buckner discusses the conditions of the jail at 201 Poplar and how they were able to secure an estimated $16 million for deferred maintenance and repairs. He also talked about the implementation of new qualifications for recruiting new officers.
He continued by stating that issue of overcrowding was exacerbated by a rapid increase in arrests by officers of the Memphis Safe Task Force, and how the jail was never meant to house state inmates…