Overview

• Guard units begin work in Memphis as part of the Memphis Safe Task Force, with officials stating they will not conduct patrols, traffic stops, checkpoints, or arrests and will assist with tasks such as blight cleanup.
• Governor Bill Lee authorized the deployment under Title 32, keeping the Guard under state control and describing it as a force multiplier for local agencies.
• About 150 Guardsmen are joining a multiagency effort that includes 13 federal agencies alongside state partners and the Memphis Police Department, according to city and ABC reporting.
• Task force leaders have touted hundreds of arrests in recent days, with Attorney General Pam Bondi citing 562 arrests to date, a figure local outlets have not independently verified.
• The move comes as city data show a roughly 16% year-over-year drop in crime and as a federal judge in Chicago temporarily blocked a separate National Guard deployment in Illinois, a contrast to Tennessee’s state-authorized mission.