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MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy sat down with FOX13 Good Morning Memphis anchors Valerie Calhoun and Ernie Freeman Thursday morning to talk about recent issues in Memphis, including recent comments on Memphis crime made by ESPN's Stephen A. Smith, the possibility of a new crime lab in Shelby County, and developments in the federal trial of three former Memphis officers charged in Tyre Nichols' death.聽

FOX13's Valerie Calhoun began by questioning Mulroy about comments made by Stephen A. Smith. During a discussion about the Memphis Grizzlies, Smith said, in part,聽"The people in Memphis. It's a great sports town. Great fans. Great people. But there's an element there where cats like Jimmy Butler and others don't feel it's the safest environment. I'm talking to the local authorities in Memphis. You've got to clean some of that stuff up because it's dissuasive to NBA players. They have talked about it. I know. They've told me."聽

"Memphis has been in that national spotlight this week after an ESPN commentator said players don't want to come to Memphis and play for the Grizzlies because of the crime. And, of course, this comes just weeks after the FBI Director said Memphis is the homicide capital of America. How do you battle this kind of perception of Memphis? Is it real? Is it reality?" Calhoun asked.聽

Mulroy said that perception is false.聽

"It's a shame because it is a misperception. It's not reality. The FBI director said we are the murder capital. That's not, in fact, the case. We're not at number one in the country for it. Now, crime is high, and we've got to be concerned about it. I don't know about Stephen Smith's anecdotes. I love what Ja Morant said, clapping back. He's not leaving, and I really appreciate Ja stepping up for us. But the reality is, for the last six quarters consistently, we've had double-digit percentage decreases in crime. The trends are going downwards. We still have a long way to go, but the trend lines are in the right direction. I think we need to make sure people understand that," Mulroy said.聽

Freeman then asked Mulroy about the federal sentencing of former officers convicted federally on charges related to the death of Tyre Nichols. Since Mulroy's May visit to Good Morning Memphis, the judge who presided over the federal trial recused himself days before two former officers were set to be sentenced, and two of the former officers requested a new trial.聽

"So, there was supposed to be a sentencing over on the federal side, and we were waiting to see what the federal sentencing would be, and that would help us make some decisions about the remaining cases that we have. That sentencing got postponed because the judge recused himself. So, now it's been reassigned to a new judge, who's a great judge, but she's going to have to take time to get familiar with the case. In the meantime, there have been some motions made by defendant Emmitt Martin. So, the judge over on the federal side will have to process all of that before they get to a resolution on the federal charges," Mulroy said.聽

Mulroy said people shouldn't be too concerned about Judge Mark Norris recusing himself prior to sentencing.聽

"I mean, there could have been a recent development that triggered the need for the recusal. Right now, it's all under seal. We don't know the details. But I think that (citizens) should feel fine. It's in the hands of a very capable judge. Judge Lipman will do a great job, and we'll just wait and see," Mulroy said.聽

Calhoun then asked Mulroy about the possibility of Shelby County having its own crime lab. Mulroy recently told Shelby County Commissioners that such a lab could be funded by $5.5 million annually.聽

"We all agree that public safety is the number one issue in Shelby County, and I believe that the number one way we improve public safety is by increasing our solve rate, what we call the clearance rate, the percentage of reported crimes that results in an arrest. Right now it's too low. It needs to be higher, and the number one way we can increase that is by enhancing our forensics capabilities. So, what we're talking about is a local crime lab focusing on the three most important areas: rapid DNA, cell phone forensics, and ballistics. We have a proposal right now, Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris and I do, for recurring funding to do a crime lab in those three areas. I think it has a decent chance of passage. Monday is the big vote. It's up to the county commission. I'm urging people to call their county commissioners and say we need this," Mulroy said.聽

The district attorney said there is a 70-week turnaround for ballistics testing, though his office can ask for an expedited review in some cases.聽

"I'm not trying to throw shade at TBI, but I think our ability to supplement could speed those things up, and particularly, Valerie, cell phone forensics. Every particular crime that is committed in Shelby County, the defendant has (a cell phone). It's a treasure trove of information, and we need the ability to look at those cell phones, not just in homicide cases but across the board," Mulroy said.聽