07/13/2026
The District Attorney General of Memphis does not speak for the rest of us. Please see the below response of the leadership of the DA’s Conference to General Mulroy’s recent op-ed on police use of force training.
I work daily alongside the Blount County Sheriff’s Office, Maryville Police Department, and Alcoa Police Department, and I know they train relentlessly to police this community in a safe and effective manner.
MEDIA RELEASE
STATEMENT FROM CURRENT AND FORMER OFFICERS OF THE TENNESSEE DISTRICT ATTORNEYS GENERAL CONFERENCE ON TODAY’S OP-ED BY SHELBY COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY, STEVE MULROY
JULY 11, 2026
The undersigned members of the Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference strongly reject the assertions made in the recent opinion column authored by Shelby County District Attorney General Steve Mulroy regarding law enforcement, police training, and the prosecution of officer-involved shootings.
General Mulroy writes only for himself. He does not speak for Tennessee's other thirty-one elected District Attorneys General. This is not the first time he has chosen to speak for himself. He has mused about the benefits of a diversion program for convicted felons illegally possessing fi****ms, made agreements in lawsuits to further his own ideology at the expense of the other thirty-one districts, and routinely taken positions that do not reflect the thoughts or beliefs of his fellow elected prosecutors.
We have remained silent. We will no longer.
His article presents sweeping conclusions based upon a single training program while suggesting that prosecutors who decline to prosecute officer-involved shootings are simply validating a culture in which deadly force is routinely excused. That portrayal is inaccurate, irresponsible, and unfair to prosecutors across Tennessee who make these difficult decisions every year. His words are reckless.
District Attorneys do not decide cases based upon opinion pieces, political ideology, media narratives, or personal philosophy. We decide cases based upon evidence, applicable law, and our constitutional duty to seek justice.
General Mulroy repeatedly declares highly controversial incidents "justified" or "unjustified" as though those determinations are self-evident. They are not. Every officer-involved shooting presents unique facts, forensic evidence, witness testimony, medical findings, and legal questions that deserve careful, independent evaluation. Suggesting otherwise diminishes the seriousness of the prosecutorial function.
Perhaps most troubling is the implication that prosecutors who conclude an officer acted lawfully are somehow failing in their responsibilities. Such rhetoric unfairly questions the integrity of elected prosecutors who have devoted decades to objectively enforcing the law without fear or favor. With his reckless words, it is General Mulroy who has failed in his responsibility.
The role of a prosecutor is not to validate a political movement, nor to defend a profession. It is to apply the law impartially.
When the evidence establishes that a police officer committed a crime, prosecutors have an obligation to file charges. When the evidence does not establish a criminal offense beyond a reasonable doubt, prosecutors have an equally important obligation to decline prosecution. Justice requires both.
General Mulroy's article also paints with an extraordinarily broad brush regarding police training. Tennessee law enforcement officers receive extensive training through POST-certified academies, continuing education, agency policies, constitutional law instruction, and evolving best practices. To suggest that officers across this state are simply "trained to kill" is a profound disservice to the thousands of men and women who serve honorably while placing themselves in danger every day.
No prosecutor welcomes the loss of life in an encounter between law enforcement and a citizen. Every such incident is tragic. Every such incident deserves careful investigation. Every such incident deserves an independent legal review. But tragedy alone does not establish criminal liability.
We are equally concerned by the effect of public statements that undermine confidence in prosecutors and law enforcement through broad accusations unsupported by the actual facts of individual cases. Public trust is strengthened by transparency, professionalism, and objective decision-making…not by inflammatory generalizations.
Tennessee's District Attorneys General have prosecuted police officers when the facts and the law required it. We have also declined prosecution when the evidence did not support criminal charges. Both decisions require independence. Both decisions require courage. Both reflect the same unwavering commitment: to follow the evidence wherever it leads.
That commitment remains the cornerstone of prosecution in Tennessee.
We will continue to judge every case the same way: by the facts, by the law, and by our oath…not by politics, ideology, or public pressure.
This is statement provided by:
Gen. Mark Davidson, President of the TNDAGC Executive Committee & District Attorney of Tennessee’s 25th Judicial District
Gen. Ray Crouch, Vice President of the TNDAGC Executive Committee & District Attorney of Tennessee’s 23rd Judicial District
Gen. Dan Armstrong, Secretary of the TNDAGC Executive Committee & District Attorney of Tennessee’s 3rd Judicial District
Gen. Jared Effler, Former President of the TNDAGC Executive Committee & District Attorney of Tennessee’s 8th Judicial District
Gen. Bryant Dunaway, Former President of the TNDAGC Executive Committee & District Attorney of Tennessee’s 13th Judicial District
Gen. Dave Clark, Former President of the TNDAGC Executive Committee & District Attorney of Tennessee’s 7th Judicial District
Gen. Jody Pickens, Former President of the TNDAGC Executive Committee & District Attorney of Tennessee’s 26th Judicial District
Gen. Ryan Desmond, Chairman of the Finance and Audit Committee & District Attorney of Tennessee’s 5th Judicial District.
