Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee said Tuesday that the state and federal crime-fighting mission in Memphis will continue indefinitely, after the joint operation has notched more than 850 arrests in its first two weeks.
Mr. Lee, a Republican, said those taken into custody include violent criminals and known gang members following the arrival last month of U.S. marshals and agents from the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration to begin their mission in tandem with a deployment of the state’s National Guard.
In addition to the arrests, he shared that federal authorities have seized 175 illegal guns and found 44 missing children. Officials said the vast majority of those missing children were runaways.
Mr. Lee said he doesn’t expect Memphis will require as much personnel in the near future, as the National Guard deployment is phased out. But the clear success of the local and federal collaboration means it will carry on in some form once the anti-crime surge subsides, he said.
“When we learn at the low level how to coordinate these resources going forward, it’ll forever change the way we police in the city of Memphis, which means that it’ll forever change the world violent crime in the city,” Mr. Lee said Tuesday at a news conference alongside Memphis Mayor Paul Young.
“I do believe that it’s a turning point,” the governor said. “It’s a historic moment in the way that we will police and be able to make certain that violent criminals are found out and are taken off the street.”
Mr. Young, a Democrat, said 10,000 suspects had been wanted on felony warrants throughout Memphis before federal law enforcement launched the crackdown.
He also noted how federal authorities tracking down suspects on the street is helping Memphis police to dedicate more time to investigating the “networks of criminality.”
The mayor also said that residents in crime-ridden North Memphis are praising the federal assistance. A fifth-grade teacher from Frayser shared how excited her students were when federal agents arrested suspects at their apartment building, he said.
“They’re now going to be able to play outside all fall as we go through this initiative,” Mr. Young said. “I think it’s important that we think about the people, our young people, and how we are enhancing their quality of life for many years to come, and what that will mean for our great city.”
Mr. Lee said the National Guard is working in a support role by providing a visible deterrent throughout Memphis. With the troops stationed at certain hot spots around town, he said that allows state, local and federal officers with arresting powers to go after criminals.
Mr. Young pointed out how other federal agencies, such as the Department of Health and Human Services and Housing and the Department of Urban Development, are offering services to residents at risk of breaking the law.
“The things that prevent people from moving into a life of crime are the investments that are going to help us sustain the work that we’re doing right now,” the mayor said. “We want to get violent criminals off the street, and we want to prevent future generations from going that route.”
Memphis has benefited from the federal crime-fighting intervention, much like the District did before it. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser celebrated massive drops in killings, carjackings and robberies during the month-long crime emergency toward the end of the summer.
However, she and other city leaders said repeatedly that violent crime in the District was at a generational low, despite President Trump characterizing the city as being overrun with violence.
Mr. Trump has pushed to send National Guard troops into Chicago and Portland, Oregon, to deter crime and protect federal immigration agents, but courts have blocked both deployments.
• Matt Delaney can be reached at mdelaney@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.