Federal and state law enforcement personnel may be here to stay, after it was announced the ongoing Memphis Safe Task Force will remain in the city indefinitely.
News of a lasting presence was revealed Friday, Oct. 16, during a roundtable led by Attorney General Todd Blanche and U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) in Memphis to mark the one year anniversary of the task force.
“We are not saying we are packing up and going home. To the contrary, we are saying we have invested in this city and we are not cashing out our investment,” said Blanche. “We are actually going to continue to pay into this city and pay into this investment with manpower and funds and working together… .”
Since the task force’s arrival, the crime rate has dropped precipitously across every metric. This includes violent crimes and property crimes alike. Over, 13,500 arrests have been made too, including over 1,500 gang members, according to Blanche.
“We should always talk about where we were two years ago. Memphis was at some to the highest rates of violent crime, per capita, including some of the highest rates of murder, rape, assault, property crime, buglary, larceny, motor vehicle theft in the entire country. Right here, in Memphis,” said Blanche.
President Donald Trump deployed an alphabet soup of federal law enforcement agency personnel, along with National Guard troops, to Memphis at the request of Gov. Bill Lee. They joined state law enforcement counterparts as a force multiplier to curb the city’s crime rate. The effort was largely coordinated by the Memphis Police Department.
“There was no playbook for such an operation, such a model as we’ve been able to operationalize here in the city of Memphis. However, the results have been positive,” said Chief “C.J.” Davis, the lone city official at the gathering.
Prior to the roundtable, the Tennessee Highway Patrol was the only outside agency mentioned as a continuous presence by Davis.
Cities across the nation also have experienced historic drops in crime statistics. They too reached peaks during the COVID lockdowns in 2022. Memphis was also one of the leaders in crime prior to the pandemic. However, the city had seen a significant downward trend in crime in the two years prior to the task force’s arrival.
One statistic highlighted during the discussion was the effort to locate missing and endangered children.
“While we are arresting and clearing Memphis’ streets of the worst of the worst, we are also bringing much needed happiness to families of this great city. To date, the Memphis Safe Task Force has located 196 missing and endangered children and returned them to safety,” said U.S. Marshals Service Director Gadyaces S. Serralta.
The impact to public health has also been noticed in at least one of the city’s emergency rooms. Dr. Andrew Sloas, a Baptist Memorial Hospital physician, said it was immediate there.
Prior to the task force, Sloas said, an average of between 6-10 gunshot victims were treated during a 12 hour shift. “When the task force arrived, that went down to one – not a day, but every three to four shifts,” he said.
The roundtable also served as a campaign stop for Blackburn, who is currently running against Memphis City Council member Jerri Green for the open governor’s seat. The fate of the task force could likely depend on the winner.
According to the latest polling, Blackburn retains a strong lead. However, the difference is now within single digits. A TargetSmart poll released on Sept. 18 showed the senator with a 45-36 lead. A month earlier, Green trailed by 21 points. Blackburn is a staunch ally of Trump and supporter of the task force. Green has criticized the effort as an unconstitutional overreach.
Blackburn also faces a challenge from the right, by independent candidate David Hatley. The hot tub manufacturer from Elizabethton currently polls at 10.
State Sen. Brent Taylor and U.S. Rep. David Kustoff, both Republicans, were also at the event. Taylor is squaring off against Democratic State Rep. Justin Pearson for the open U.S. House District 9 contest. Kustoff will go against Democrat Hiedi Kuhn, former Shelby County Criminal Court Clerk, in District 8.
Longtime Democratic incumbent Steve Cohen announced his retirement after the Republican-led Tennessee legislature radically redrew district lines. The gerrymandering effort is largely seen as an attempt by Republicans to maintain control of the U.S. House. Taylor announced his candidacy immediately after its passage.
In once safe states and districts, Republican candidates are on defense as President Trump’s popularity continues to nosedive. Surveys reflect Trump’s failing marks on the Iran War, fuel prices, inflation and immigration. Despite an approval rating at or below 30%, the increasingly unpopular president has vowed to make the election a referendum on his job performance. Allegations of corruption have also dogged Trump throughout his second term.
