Memphis Chooses First Female Police Chief

City councilors in Memphis, Tennessee, have approved the hiring of C.J. Davis, the first woman to lead the city’s police department.

The City Council voted Tuesday to appoint Davis as chief of the Memphis Police Department. Davis replaces Michael Rallings, who is retiring. She starts the job on June 14.

A former member of the police department in Atlanta, Davis had served as police chief in Durham, North Carolina, since 2016. Davis was the selection of Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland, who said she stood out due to her leadership experience in Atlanta and Durham.