Taking Back Our Communities - Getting Rid of the Rotten Apples‪.‬

IT WAS THE LAST THING Memphis Detective Paul Sherman expected. The veteran undercover officer had made hundreds of arrests throughout his career as a police officer. He was used to dealing with the worst of the worst, the most violent gang members and unscrupulous thugs on the streets. So, as Detective Sherman led a hand-cuffed drug dealer out of a "crack house" in the Normal Station neighborhood one warm spring afternoon to a waiting squad car, he was shocked when a neighbor grabbed him around the shoulders and embraced him in a bear hug. In fact, Melissa Pearce was so happy the police were arresting the neighborhood menace and boarding up his house as a result of a court order obtained by the DA's office, the neighborhood watch leader planted a kiss on Detective Sherman's cheek. It was enough to make the burly detective--all 250 pounds, six feet, five inches of him--blush. That feelings of gratitude and accomplishment citizens feel when they work with law enforcement to take back their neighborhoods from crime, blight, nuisances and overall disarray is not unusual. When citizens see results, their despair and frustration change to hope and determination.