There are 11 article(s) tagged John Covington:

• September 2026

  • Opinion: Calling partisanship racism doesn’t make it so

    John Covington says, “Beyond the incendiary rhetoric, the facts are straightforward: Tennessee Republicans wanted another Republican seat – and said so plainly.”

    By John Covington September 08, 2026

• August 2026

  • Opinion: Transparency shouldn’t stop at the DA’s door

    “If a serious charge generated through the Memphis Safe Task Force is not prosecuted, citizens have a legitimate interest in knowing what happened. That is not an attack on prosecutors. It is accountability.”

    By John Covington August 31, 2026

• June 2026

  • Opinion: Politics aside? When it comes to Otis Sanford — not quite

    Opinion: “Otis Sanford begins his recent column with a reasonable premise: Politics should be set aside when discussing the federal indictment of suspended General Sessions Court Clerk Tami Sawyer. Unfortunately, that’s not what follows.”

    By John Covington June 28, 2026

• March 2024

  • Memphis Police Association questions bond for man accused of shooting officer

    The police association’s leadership issued a news release Monday that said the association was “stunned to learn” that Kee, who has been charged with attempted first-degree murder and two other felonies, had his bond set at $175,000. 

    Related story:

    Alleged shooter of MPD officer to undergo mental eval

    By Samuel Hardiman March 11, 2024

• January 2024

  • New police union VP found career calling in ‘camaraderie of service’

    John Covington was elected to the role of Memphis Police Association vice president in November and started Jan. 1.

    By Julia Baker January 30, 2024

  • Too cold for crime? Wintry weather brings incident volume down

    Memphis saw a 50% decrease in crime between Sunday, Jan. 14, and Tuesday, Jan. 16, from the same point in the week. Criminal incidents were down 62% from the same three-day period in 2023.

    By Julia Baker January 18, 2024

• February 2023

  • Slain MPD Officer Geoffrey Redd spent life looking to serve

    He taught Sunday school and is remembered by at least one officer as a kind, caring person who knew how to talk to citizens.

    By Jane Roberts February 22, 2023

• October 2022

  • The long road that went beyond reversing police, fire benefits cuts

    A member of the Memphis Police Association leadership talks on “Behind The Headlines” about the long-term strategy to reverse a 2014 city council decision to cut city benefits.

    By Bill Dries October 15, 2022

• May 2022

  • Crime Crisis: MPD brass wants more officers. Here’s how it’s deploying who it has

    Of the city’s roughly 1,900 commissioned officers, about 61% are on patrol. 

    By Julia Baker May 23, 2022

• January 2022

  • Paying The Police: Comparing area officers’ salaries

    The Daily Memphian compares top pay and pay ranges for the county’s six law enforcement agencies and finds that the area’s smaller police departments pay more. 

    By Bill Dries January 09, 2022

• August 2019

  • Leaders of sales tax hike push vow citywide campaign

    Leaders of the “Memphis Campaign for Public Safety” said on The Daily Memphian Politics Podcast they think the wording of the Oct. 3 ballot question is clear although Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland has said if it is approved, it would still have to go to the City Council for approval.

    By Bill Dries August 10, 2019