MEMPHIS, Tennessee — It's the end of an era as retiring Memphis Police Director Mike Rallings heads for the exits.
"I think we've done some good things - but obviously the issue of aggravated assaults and homicides we have not been as successful," Director Rallings said.
The outgoing MPD Director was especially blunt and candid as he reflected on the challenges leading the department - and combatting violent crime - the past five years.
"We've kind of thrown everything at it and the kitchen sink," Director Rallings said.
The 30-year MPD veteran, who retired Wednesday, was promoted from interim director shortly after the M bridge protest in downtown Memphis in July 2016.
That night, Rallings gathered in prayer, following several tense hours as he successfully led hundreds of demonstrators off the bridge safely.
"That was a potentially lethal situation," Director Rallings said.
"I think he tried to advocate for a different community style of policing that many of the activists and protesters on the front line were advocating for," Rev. Earle Fisher said.
Rev. Fisher and other community activists argued many of those community policing reforms promised by MPD during those summer 2016 demonstrations across Memphis didn't pan out as originally hoped.
"The moment had been calling for much more in terms of innovation," Rev. Fisher said.
Director Rallings disputes much of that, contending that challenges recruiting and retaining officers remains to this day, forcing MPD to do more with less. The current force of a little more than 1900 officers is well below the targeted goal of 2500.
"You've got to have X amount of people to answer almost a million calls for service and do the community policing that our community is asking for," Director Rallings said.
Wednesday morning, as Director Rallings said goodbye at the police training academy, he also offered a plea to the public.
"Community involvement is an issue and the community is going to have to get off the sidelines," Director Rallings said.
Among the accomplishments Director Rallings pointed to during his tenure leading MPD: clearing the backlog of sexual assault kits, deploying body worn cameras, adding investigators, bulking up the Multi-Agency Gang Unit, and opening a new crime gun intelligence center.