On Monday, we noted that the city of Memphis, Tennessee, is now a little safer for its honest residents, thanks to the Trump administration's Memphis Safe Task Force. Also on Monday, Attorney General Pam Bondi visited Memphis, and, in a presser also attended by Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, gave some numbers on the success of that crackdown.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee and other state leaders visited Memphis on Monday and touted the success of the Memphis Safe Task Force has had so far.
"In 2024, Memphis had the highest violent crime rate — the highest in the entire country," Bondi said. "Memphis' total crime rate was 344% higher than national average."
She added, "No longer!"
Memphis has been the city with the highest per capita rates of violent crime for some time now. If AG Bondi's numbers are correct, that may be changing now. The real question is this: Will this be sustainable?
During a Monday press conference in Memphis, Bondi and the state leaders thanked the federal task force for its work, especially as the Mid-South approaches the holiday.
In her presentation, AG Bondi compared the past 56 days since the task force started working in Memphis to the same period last year. She said murder was down 48%, sexual assault down 49% and robberies down 61%.
But even the leaders at the press conference admitted that there are some challenges with sustaining this success. That includes finding long-term solutions and alleviating the strain on our jail and court systems.
The "strain on jails and court systems" has, all too often, been used as a reason to rotate criminals through the system as quickly as possible, to plea-bargain away serious crimes, to pop them back out on the block with a promise to appear at their later court date. That's a major issue, and while what the Memphis Safe Task Force is doing is great work, those problems will have to be fixed as well.
Read More: Memphis Streets Now Safer After Trump Task Force Arrests
President Trump Touts Massive Success of Operation Summer Heat
Recidivism is the problem. We have seen far too many cases in recent months and years where a criminal was arrested, his or her offense plea-bargained down to nothing or just dismissed outright. This has happened, in some cases, dozens of times, until said goblin finally escalated to murder or attempted murder. That's what happened in the case of Iryna Zarutska, stabbed to death on a Charlotte commuter train by a mentally ill serial offender. That's what happened to Bethany MaGee, who was set on fire on a Chicago train by another serial offender, who had been arrested dozens of times.
To stop these kinds of events, the goblins need to not only be taken off the streets: They need to be kept off the streets.
.@AGPamBondi announces more than 3,100 arrests, 500 illegal weapons seized, and 121 missing children located since the deployment of the Memphis Safe Task Force.
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) November 25, 2025
"Murder rates cut in half, crime rates in Memphis at their lowest level in 20 years," says @GovBillLee. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/lifDLCjumP
After the press conference, AG Bondi and some of the other officials who appeared with her at the presser reportedly departed to serve Thanksgiving dinner to some of the federal agents and other personnel working on the task force, and therefore away from their families on this holiday.
Editor’s Note: President Donald Trump is returning Memphis to its citizens by locking up violent criminals and restoring order.
We've covered the decay of our major cities for years. Support us today in our coverage of urban America's comeback. Join Townhall VIP and use promo code FIGHT to get 60% off your membership.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member