A year ago, a federal judge ruled that the Memphis Police Department (MPD) violated a 1978 consent decree by using a fake Facebook account to spy on and investigate non-criminal activists. Police Director Michael Rallings says that when the decree was enacted there was no electronic social media. Rallings wants to see the decree updated to reflect modern technology. However, a judge recently denied the City of Memphis' request to modify the 1978 decree.
On Nov. 13, the City of Memphis did receive a clear interpretation of the decree by a federal judge.
Rallings joins the city's Chief Legal Officer Bruce McMullen, for this week’s WKNO-TV Behind the Headlines, with Daily Memphian reporter Bill Dries and host Eric Barnes. McMullen discusses the judge’s interpretation, saying many aspects of the decree had been debated for years, but now they have a better understanding of Memphis law enforcement's limits and boundaries.