Shelby County mayor Mike H. Lutrell speaks to students in the UC Memphis room Nov. 7.
While on campus Tuesday Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell said the keys to achieving civility in society are a well-trained police force enforcing the law, strong prevention programs and intervention.
The University of Memphis College Republicans hosted Luttrell’s lecture, “Civility in Politics,†where he discussed the discourse to political civility in the University Center Memphis room. The event also featured a question and answer session.
Luttrell previously worked with the police force as a warden at correctional facilities and later as Shelby County Sheriff, and he said criminals’ thought processes have interested him for a while.
“I’ve always been fascinated with the criminal mind,†Luttrell said at the event. “I never have figured it out, and I think that’s one reason I’ve stayed in the field.â€
To Luttrell, the mystery of the criminal mind stems from why criminals commit the crimes they do.
“Most of my life in the criminal justice system has been trying to understand and trying to address those issues that seem to be common in the lives of criminal offenders,†Luttrell said during the lecture.Â
Luttrell previously worked with the police force as a warden at correctional facilities and later as Shelby County Sheriff.
Working with criminals to rehabilitate them into society is vital for civility Luttrell said, but also working in the police force is important to improve civil discourse.Â
“After some 30 or 40 years working in the criminal justice system I’ve come to the conclusion that to fight crime you need to really address criminal behavior,†Luttrell said at the event. “It requires intense work.â€
Luttrell also said for a politician to be successful and gain civility, they must sell their idea to people and engage in society.
“Selling the product is part of the civility question,†Luttrell said during the lecture. “That’s the top part.â€
Luttrell said he has seen many politicians fail at civility because they do not work with the public well.Â
“That’s where we see many political figures fail in trying to establish a level of civil behavior,†Luttrell said at the event.
