The Memphis test

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LINDSAY MAST, HOST: Coming up next on The World and Everything in It: Safety in Memphis.

NICK EICHER, HOST: The Tennessee city has long had a reputation as one of the most dangerous in the nation. Six months ago, the Memphis Safe Taskforce arrived in the city, and this week President Trump hosted a round table there to tout its success.

WORLD’s Mary Muncy reports.

MARY MUNCY: The FBI says Memphis had the highest violent crime rate of any city in the US in 2024. It had been steadily climbing for a decade and reached an all-time high in 2023. And while it had been trending downward since then, it remained alarmingly high.

That spurred President Trump to launch the Memphis Safe Task Force. It’s the same tactic used by Washington, DC. It combines the FBI, DEA, National Guard, and others to try to make the city safer.

SERRALTA: Without question, the public outlook in Memphis has improved dramatically, in the last six months collectively, our efforts have resulted in a 43 percent reduction in total serious crimes, 37 percent reduction in murder… 56 percent reduction in robbery.

Jay Krish has owned a convenience store in downtown Memphis for the last ten years. He sees the National Guard everywhere and says he thinks the increased presence is helping tourists feel safer.

KRISH: We got a new public safety guards. It's a new team, so they're doing a really good job right now. They've been helping every day, checking on the business, taking on the people, taking care of the tourists and everything.

Another Memphis worker told WORLD the difference in the last six months has been “night and day.”

But others see it differently, protesting the task force. Democratic state representative Justin Pearson told WMC-TV.

PEARSON: If we were given the money that they wasted on this unsafe task force, we could’ve provided more housing, improved our education, helped with medical expenses for families, and actually benefited our community. We need poverty eradication, not occupation.

Some people accused the task force of harassing minorities, and the mayor claims it’s having a chilling effect.

Others, like Democratic Congressman Steven Cohen, say the task force isn’t doing what Trump says it is.

COHEN: The taskforce came into Memphis is September 25, crime was already down 25 percent because of the good work of our Mayor Young and our police director David. They continue to do the good work.

In his view, the surge in FBI and DEA agents was helpful, but the National Guard and ICE need to go home.

Back at the roundtable, US Marshal Service Director Gady Serralta says public events have gotten safer. He points to the Saint Jude marathon in December.

SERRALTA: Where 22,000 runners gathered without a single reported downtown burglary compared to multiple incidents in the prior year.

Meanwhile, President Trump says he wants to expand this tactic to other American cities.

TRUMP: In another two or three months, you could have like no crime.

He also encouraged Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton to keep focusing on “tough-on-crime” bills. Some of those measures include denying bail to some violent offenders, and increasing penalties for both adult and juvenile offenders.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Mary Muncy.

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