Fact check: Memphis police have not stopped responding to car theft, property damage

Adrienne Dunn, USA TODAY
·2 min read

The claim: Memphis police are no longer responding to car theft, property damage and other crimes

Social media users have been sharing a screenshot from a newscast announcing the Memphis Police Department will no longer be responding to various crimes, including car theft and property damage.

The text in the image reads, "Effective immediately, The Memphis Police Department will no longer respond to the following: assault charges with no injury; breaking and entering; criminal, property damage, lost or stolen property; menacing, phone harassment; larceny; disorderly conduct; and motor vehicle theft.”

The image can be seen in various Facebook posts, includes ones shared April 26 and April 27.

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But the screenshot has been fabricated and its contents are inaccurate. USA TODAY has reached out to the posters for comment.

Image is fabricated; MPD is still responding to calls for service

At first glance, the image appears to be a screenshot of a newscast from Memphis news station, WREG-TV.

However, the font and presentation in the image does not match the usual style of reports and broadcasts from the station, examples of which can be viewed here.

The Memphis Police Department has also said the claim isn't true.

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In an April 26 Facebook post, the department included the image and wrote, "This image is circulating through social media again. THIS IS NOT TRUE and is fake information that someone (outside of WREG) created. This is not information that was generated by News Channel 3."

The department added that it "continues to respond to all calls for service," and if people see the image, they should "know that it is NOT true."

Our rating: False

We rate FALSE the claim that Memphis police will stop responding to certain calls because it is not supported by our research. The image in the Facebook posts has been fabricated and its contents are inaccurate. The Memphis police confirm they are still responding to the crimes mentioned in the post.

Our fact-check sources:

Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or electronic newspaper replica here.

Our fact check work is supported in part by a grant from Facebook.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: Memphis PD has not stopped responding to various crimes

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