MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The chairman of the Memphis City Council is pushing for the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office to have a permanent presence on Beale Street as part of the city’s new downtown safety plan.

Councilman Martavius Jones says he plans to sponsor a resolution asking the county government to permanently assign deputies to the entertainment district.

Right now, deputies are being used on a temporary basis to help MPD until the department comes up with permanent staffing assignments.

“What we’ve had in the past really has been these pop-up operations. And I said earlier, this is not a pop-up operation. This is the new normal for the downtown space and we plan to staff it permanently — so the conversation with the sheriff’s department will be what permanent staff can we count on to be a part of this plan,” said Memphis Police Chief CJ Davis.

There was also a proposal by Councilman Chase Carlisle to change the wristband policy on Beale to make it easier for police to identify minors.