The Memphis Safe Task Force marked its first year after reporting more than 12,000 arrests and over 2,100 illegal firearms seized. Officials say these results coincide with a roughly 36% year-over-year drop in overall crime, including steep declines in motor vehicle thefts, robberies and murders. High-profile prosecutions include a fentanyl-distribution conviction tied to three fatal overdoses and a 15-year sentence for a bank robbery getaway driver. The operation is part of a broader federal push to deploy resources to cities with high violent-crime rates.
Memphis Safe Task Force Hits One-Year Mark: 12,000+ Arrests, 2,100+ Illegal Guns Seized as City Reports Large Crime Drops
members of the National Guard in Memphis
The Memphis Safe Task Force has completed its first year, reporting more than 12,000 arrests and the seizure of over 2,100 illegal firearms as federal, state and local authorities worked together to address a prolonged violent-crime problem in the city.
Members of the National Guard patrol on October 11, 2025, in Memphis, Tennessee. National Guard members began patrolling Memphis this week as part of a federal task force established by President Trump to combat what the administration says is violent crime in the city.
Operation, Scope and Official Reaction
The operation launched after President Donald Trump signed a presidential memorandum authorizing National Guard deployments and convened federal, state and local law enforcement in Memphis. The White House and administration officials have credited the task force with driving down violent crime in the city. "President Trump's Memphis Safe Task Force has driven down violent crime in a city that was failed by extreme Democrats' soft-on-crime policies," White House spokesperson Lauren Bis told Fox News Digital.
Federal law enforcement officers stand at the intersection of Beale St. and N. Second St., Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025, in Memphis, Tenn.
Reported Results
Data reviewed by Fox News Digital show notable year-over-year declines across a range of crimes during the task force's first year: overall crime down about 36%; motor vehicle thefts down 57%; robberies down 43%; murders down 44%; and aggravated assaults down 27%. Separate figures indicate that overall crime in 2025 was down 28% compared with 2024.
High-Profile Cases and Prosecutions
The task force's work has included several high-profile prosecutions. In August, Memphis resident Darian Glover was convicted of distributing fentanyl that resulted in three fatal overdoses — one victim had believed the substance was cocaine. In September, the Department of Justice obtained a 15-year sentence for Courtney Trenell, who served as a getaway driver in two bank robberies and was part of a conspiracy to rob six banks.
Context
Memphis had been coping with a severe violent-crime surge before the task force launched: homicides rose to 397 in 2023 from 301 in 2022, according to Justice Department data. That local trend reflected a broader national pattern of higher violent crime beginning in 2020 amid pandemic-related disruptions and large-scale protests. Officials say the Memphis deployment is part of a wider federal strategy to concentrate resources in cities facing acute violent-crime problems; similar federal efforts in Washington, D.C., have also been credited by officials with producing declines in crime.
Note: Officials and the administration attribute the reported crime declines to the task force's activities; the data cited are those reviewed and reported by Fox News Digital.
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