Steven J. Mulroy is the District Attorney for Shelby County, Tennessee July 25, 2023. (© Karen Pulfer Focht/Tennessee Lookout)
Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy is facing pushback over comments he made in an op-ed that was recently published in USA Today, in which he highlights his experience after attending a police training course focused on use of force.
Amongst largely negative comments made, Mulroy wrote, “One thing I learned was a D.A. can’t prevent police killings if the police are trained to kill.”
Rejecting Mulroy’s assertions, current and former leaders of the Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference had this to say:
“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.”
Collierville Police Chief Dale Lane also released a statement in response to Mulroy’s op-ed:
“There is a vast difference between analyzing a crisis from the safety of a desk and experiencing it in real time. Investigators and critics have months to evaluate a file, while officers have mere fractions of a second to make split-second, life-altering decisions…I hope District Attorney Mulroy will reconsider his stance and work alongside us to support the overwhelming majority of dedicated public servants in our region.”
