MEMPHIS, TN – Shelby County District Attorney Bill Gibbons has named a new chief investigator to oversee the District Attorney’s Office Criminal Investigative Division. David N. McGriff will also continue to oversee the operations of the West Tennessee Violent Crime and Drug Task Force as its director, a post he has held since 2001.

“David McGriff brings more than 35 years of law enforcement experience—including 30 years with the D.A.’s Office—as he takes on this new role supervising the daily operations of our investigative unit,” said District Attorney Gibbons.

In addition to serving as director of the Drug Task Force, McGriff spent ten years assigned to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) West Tennessee Task Force. Prior to that assignment he served 24 years as a criminal investigator. Before joining the District Attorney’s Office, McGriff was a uniformed patrol officer for the Memphis Police Department and the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C.  He also served four years as a sergeant in the United States Marine Corps.

The D.A.’s Criminal Investigative Division is a team of commissioned law enforcement professionals who assist prosecutors in preparing cases for trial, preliminary hearings, indictments and post-conviction proceedings.  Some of their responsibilities include locating witnesses, serving subpoenas, conducting interviews, collecting and delivering evidence to labs for testing, and preparing exhibits for trials.

While McGriff will remain director of the Drug Task Force, he will be assisted by a new deputy director, Edward R. Palmer, Jr.  Prior to his new appointment, Palmer served 25 years with the Germantown Police Department. He retired from the department in January as inspector over the uniform patrol division. For six years Palmer was assigned to the DEA West Tennessee Task Force. When he returned to his duties with the Germantown Police, Palmer organized and supervised a joint narcotics operation with the Collierville Police Department. Palmer also served six years as a uniformed patrol officer for the Honolulu Police Department in Hawaii.

Additionally, Gibbons announced the appointment of a new attorney to his team of prosecutors. Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Morris has been assigned to general sessions criminal court.  Morris is a native of West Memphis, Arkansas. She earned a bachelor’s degree from The University of Arkansas and a law degree from The Cecil C. Humphrey’s School of law at The University of Memphis.