Attorney General Todd Blanche celebrated on Friday the work of the joint federal and local operation cracking down on crime in Memphis just over a year ago, hoping to replicate efforts across the country with similar cooperation between different law enforcement agencies.
Law enforcement officials from the federal government and Memphis held a roundtable Friday in the city, just over a year after the Trump administration launched the Memphis Safe Task Force aimed at public safety efforts in the crime-ridden city. Blanche said that crime in the city has dropped to a 25-year low, noting that overall crime is down 34% compared to last year.
“What it actually means on a day-to-day basis is the citizens of this county, the citizens of Tennessee, are in a safer environment, in a safer street, in a safer restaurant, in a safer building than they were two years ago, and that’s true across the country,” Blanche said, also touting crime-fighting efforts outside the city.
“We’re here to talk about Memphis, but the historic drop in crime that we’ve seen in this city is something that we’ve seen all across the country, and it’s completely the result of the work of the men and women who wear the badge, and who are working hard to keep communities safe,” he added.
Blanche shared that murders are down 33% compared to last year, while sexual assaults are down 25%, motor vehicle thefts are down 54%, robberies are down are down 40%, and aggravated assaults are down 24%. Officials also highlighted the successful efforts locating and recovering 196 missing or endangered children and returning them to safety.
The attorney general emphasized the need for cooperation across all levels in fighting crime, arguing it could work in other cities, naming Chicago as an example where law enforcement could work on lowering crime levels.
“The reason why this works, and the reason why we’re here today, the reason why we want other cities to look at Memphis, is because of the fact that nobody standing alone can accomplish what we’ve been able to accomplish,” Blanche said. “If only some of us stood together, it would still fail.”
The DOJ has faced public opposition from several Democratic-run cities regarding crime fighting, particularly when it comes to immigration enforcement.
Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) highlighted that cooperation between law enforcement agencies has been the key to fighting crime in Memphis.
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“We truly feel that Memphis is the model for how you can move forward,” Blackburn said. “Because everyone said we have a problem, here is an opportunity to really surge these resources. Let’s work together and get in behind this and get it done.”
The Memphis Safe Task Force was launched in September 2025, alongside the deployment of the National Guard to the city and increased federal resources to Memphis. Blanche said at Friday’s event that the task force’s work will continue even as they pass the one-year mark. Since the operation began, the Marshals Service has touted more than 13,500 arrests and 2,270 gun seized as part of the crackdown on crime.