Retrospective coverage of the week ending April 30, 2026. Resource contacts below were checked September 1, 2026.
A Memphis employee who has been robbed may need something a security incident report cannot provide: help finding support after the immediate danger has passed. A manager should have those contacts before the conversation happens.
On April 21, the Memphis Police Department announced a victim-support event scheduled for April 25 at New Hope Baptist Church, 2356 Elvis Presley Boulevard. The department described a gathering where victims, families and community organizations could connect with services and advocacy. Its announcement gives us the purpose and scheduled location; it does not establish attendance or what assistance anyone received. MPD event announcement
The date fell within National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, observed April 19-25 in 2026. For a business owner, that week’s practical question survives the event: could the person supervising your next evening shift help an affected employee find the right service without making them tell their story to everyone on duty? Office for Victims of Crime announcement
That is a manageable part of a workplace response plan. It requires a short referral sheet, a designated point of contact and care about what information gets passed between shifts. It does not require a supervisor to become a counselor or decide whether someone qualifies for assistance.
Keep emergency response and support referrals separate
For an immediate emergency, call 911. MPD lists 901-545-2677 for non-emergency police assistance. A victim-services request is a different route, intended for support rather than emergency dispatch. The distinction belongs at the top of any workplace contact sheet. MPD contact information
MPD’s Victim Services Unit lists free assistance for crime victims and witnesses, including crisis support, referrals and help with victim-compensation applications. Its published number is 901-636-3300. That makes the unit a useful starting point when an employee asks what help exists or needs assistance navigating the criminal justice process. It is not a promise that every requested service or financial claim will be approved. MPD Victim Services Unit
Shelby County’s Crime Victims & Rape Crisis Center lists crisis intervention, court accompaniment, trauma counseling and other services. The county describes its services as free and confidential. Its office number is 901-222-3950; its separate 24-hour sexual assault hotline is 901-222-4350. Keep the hotline’s purpose attached to the number instead of presenting it as a general police line. Shelby County center
| Need | Published contact | How to label it on a workplace sheet |
|---|---|---|
| Immediate emergency | 911 | Emergency response |
| Non-emergency Memphis police assistance | 901-545-2677 | Police non-emergency line |
| MPD victim-support referral | 901-636-3300 | Victim Services Unit |
| Shelby County victim-support services | 901-222-3950 | Crime Victims & Rape Crisis Center office |
| Sexual assault support | 901-222-4350 | County 24-hour sexual assault hotline |
These are the numbers displayed by the agencies when we checked. Before putting them into a handbook or printed card, open the linked agency pages again. A contact sheet needs an owner and a review date, just as an emergency call list does.
Offer a referral without conducting an intake interview
Give the employee choices about the handoff. They may want a number to call privately, a link to read later or help contacting an advocate. Ask which would be useful. Do not make a detailed account of the incident the price of receiving a referral.
The county’s online request form illustrates why the method of contact matters. It asks whether leaving a phone message is safe and whether email is safe to use. It also states that an advocate or counselor will respond within three business days to discuss options and eligibility. That is the county’s stated response process, not an emergency service or a turnaround time the employer can guarantee. County request form
Apply that care to your own conversation. Before offering to send information, ask whether the employee wants it delivered to that phone number or address. A work email account, shared household device or voicemail may be a poor choice for a particular person. Let the employee say so without demanding an explanation.
Do not submit a request containing someone else’s account of victimization merely because a form allows an employer or coworker to identify their relationship. Ask the person whether they want help completing it. Keep the support offer separate from the operational information your business needs to respond to a workplace incident.
The shift handoff is where a good plan can become intrusive
A daytime manager can know every resource on the sheet while the night supervisor knows none. Close that gap with a brief practice exercise during normal training: an employee says they were victimized, the immediate emergency has been addressed, and they would like help finding support. Can the supervisor find the sheet? Who can discuss a schedule change? Who answers if the primary manager is unavailable?
This is a proposed exercise, not a description of an incident at a Memphis business. Use a fictional scenario and avoid asking staff to share personal experiences in front of colleagues.
Give the next supervisor the operational information they need, such as who is covering the register or which manager will follow up. Avoid copying a detailed personal account into a general shift log. Before promising that a workplace conversation will be confidential, check your organization’s reporting procedures and explain any limits honestly.
A referral sheet and an incident report serve different purposes. The report records relevant facts about what happened at work. The sheet helps someone reach assistance. Combining them into one widely shared document creates unnecessary pressure to disclose personal details to obtain help.
Help with the next step, without promising the result
Managers can offer practical assistance within their authority: a private place for a call, time to speak with an advocate, or a conversation with the person who handles scheduling. They should be clear about what they can approve and what needs another decision. Neither a security supervisor nor a publication can determine an individual’s benefit eligibility, legal rights or treatment needs.
When an employee asks about compensation, direct them to the agency that helps with applications rather than quoting an amount from an old article. When they ask a legal question, help them find appropriate advice rather than interpreting a court process on the spot. A useful referral remains useful even when the manager does not know the answer.
Check the system with ordinary operational questions. Can a supervisor locate the numbers without logging into an absent manager’s account? Does a printed copy still match the agency website? Is there a replacement contact when the designated manager is off? Has the team been told that an online request is not a way to summon emergency help?
April’s announcement put local support services in public view. A workplace can preserve that value long after an awareness week ends by making the route to help easy to find and leaving personal decisions with the person seeking it. The first supervisor someone speaks to should not have to start with a search engine.