On this week's WKNO/Channel 10 "Behind the Headlines," Downtown Memphis Commission (DMC) President and CEO Chandell Ryan joined host Eric Barnes and Daily Memphian reporter Bill Dries to discuss safety improvements, infrastructure investments, and economic development efforts in Downtown Memphis.
The conversation began with a focus on the declining crime rates in the Downtown area and their effect on public perception. Barnes highlighted that citywide violent crime has decreased by 48% compared to the same period last year, and motor vehicle thefts have dropped by 68%.
"We track the same kinds of numbers that Chief Davis mentioned at [a] council meeting, but we track them for the North Main precinct specifically," Ryan said. "For car theft, we were down even higher than that, like over 70%. And we're seeing our crime overall down. It's just under 50% as well for Downtown."
Ryan said the shift in public perception comes as more people return to Downtown restaurants, events, and attractions.
"If you're experiencing a good time and you don't have an incident that you have to hear about, I think that absolutely change[s] the perception," she said.
The discussion also focused on the bustling spring season on Beale Street, where officials report that new safety measures and technology are helping monitor activity and respond more swiftly to potential incidents.
Ryan said officials and their Memphis Police Department (MPD) partners have been reviewing past seasons and making adjustments, including enhancing camera coverage in key areas.
"There was one area near Second and Beale where we just didn't have great camera coverage," she said. "So we worked with the area of business to cut down the trees, add some more cameras, so now we have better eyes from the command center to watch that space a little bit better."
Those cameras feed into a Downtown command center that monitors activity and coordinates responses with MPD.
Ryan stated that the system enables officials to respond more rapidly to potential issues.
"Having the command center, people actively watching every day to try to prevent incidents from happening has been a game changer," she said.
Ryan also discussed plans to enhance Downtown Memphis infrastructure, saying that the DMC has received about $74 million in state funds for safety and infrastructure improvements across the Downtown district, part of an estimated $100 million expected to be invested in the area, particularly around Beale Street.
As part of the improvements, Ryan said officials are studying traffic flow and considering more permanent systems to manage crowds during major events.
"We are studying the traffic flow," Ryan said. "We are looking to have more permanent systems so that we don't have all of these construction barricades and just the inefficiency of bringing all of that out and taking it all back up."
Ryan said improving the physical environment Downtown is another focus for the DMC.
A team of Downtown ambassadors handles cleaning, maintenance and beautification projects throughout the district.
"That service costs us a little bit over $2 million to have the ambassadors in our downtown space," Ryan said. "They're painting poles. They're removing graffiti. They're removing stickers. So they do a lot."
The program also includes planting projects across Downtown. Ryan said thousands of plants have already been added and more are planned during the upcoming planting season.
Additionally, to bolster the area, Ryan says the DMC is working to activate vacant storefronts through programs that allow temporary businesses to test locations Downtown.
Ryan said the "Open on Main" initiative has helped attract new concepts, including an art gallery and small businesses that have later signed permanent leases.
"That's the goal," she said. "Hopefully [a business] can stick and stay, or it's just really good to have new experiences in Downtown."
For Ryan, the combination of safety improvements, economic development programs, and infrastructure investments reflects a broader effort to strengthen the city's urban core.
"I think we're in a good, sweet spot," she said. "I do want to see more, and we're working on that."
