President Trump’s move to increase law enforcement in crime-ridden cities just might be working.
The POTUS has been met with some criticism for sending the National Guard to cities that are deemed “violent” and “crime-ridden.” Those that impose Trump’s decision to use military troops for domestic purposes have cited that it takes power away from the states, and that the National Guard is being used a “federal police force.”
Trump has already deployed troops to Los Angeles, Washington D.C. and Memphis, and has shown interest in sending the National Guard to Chicago and Portland. In the White House’s “Restoring Law and Order in Memphis” announcement, they cited that troops were being sent to Tennessee city because the urban area had the highest violent crime rate per capita:
“The city of Memphis, Tennessee, is suffering from tremendous levels of violent crime that have overwhelmed its local government’s ability to respond effectively. This situation has become dire in one of our Nation’s most historic cities.
According to data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Memphis in 2024 had the highest rate of violent crime per capita, including some of the highest per capita rates of murder, robbery, and aggravated assault, and property crimes such as burglary, larceny, and motor vehicle theft, in the country.”
Though some might butt against that… those are factual crime statistics.
So President Trump and the White House created the “Memphis Safe Task Force,” and they have already been sent to the city of Memphis – the former home of Elvis Presley and the current home of the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies:
“There is hereby established a Memphis Safe Task Force, whose objective shall be to end street and violent crime in Memphis to the greatest possible extent through the promotion and facilitation of hyper-vigilant policing, aggressive prosecution, complex investigations, financial enforcement, and large-scale saturation of besieged neighborhoods with law enforcement personnel.
And which shall coordinate closely with State officials in Tennessee and local officials in Memphis to share information, develop joint priorities, and maximize resources to make Memphis safe and restore public order.”
So how is that going, you might be asking?
Well, if you were to just judge the task force’s success based on this Memphis’ News Channel 3 reporting, things are going swimmingly. The Department of Justice says they have arrested close to 1,400 people (over 500 were warrant pick-ups), and the famous Beale Street area of Downtown Memphis feels safer according to Memphis Grizzlies fans.
New Channel 3 was there at the Grizzlies home opener to ask fans what they thought about the increased law enforcement presence. Everyone that they talked to was grateful and felt safer, and one woman was quoted saying, “We are just enjoying life.” Isn’t that what going to the game is all about?
You can view the news report on the Memphis Safe Task Force’s presence around Beale Street in the video below, which is captioned:
“Many Grizzlies fans said that while the opening night of the Grizzlies’ season is exciting, what was more comforting was the increased law enforcement presence.”
And hey… I’ve got to agree with all of those fans on this one.
Do I wish we lived in a world where you could go out and about without a worry in the world? You bet I do. But as long as we don’t, I’m perfectly fine with an increased presence of police.
Especially if it actually enhances the experience like it’s doing for Memphis Grizzlies fans on Beale Street.
