Sheriff Floyd Bonner issued a sharply worded letter accusing Mayor Lee Harris of ignoring overcrowding, safety and budget problems in Memphis’ jail system.
Memphis councilmember faces criticism after comparing firefighter pay negotiations to rape as debate continues over restoring a previously approved raise.
A Tennessee Bureau of Investigation letter says a full audit of the Memphis Police Department found no significant issues in crime reporting, reinforcing recent declines shown in the city’s dashboard data.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said violent crime has fallen sharply during the first two months of the Memphis Safe Task Force, citing major year-over-year drops as officials highlighted more than 3,000 arrests and continuing legal questions over the National Guard’s role.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee announced he will appeal a Davidson County chancellor’s ruling that ordered the National Guard to leave Memphis. The troops will remain in the city while the appeal moves forward. The Memphis Safe Task Force has made thousands of arrests and recovered hundreds of illegal guns since its deployment in October.
A Davidson County judge has temporarily halted Gov. Bill Lee’s National Guard deployment in Memphis, citing constitutional limits and the absence of a formal executive order. A full hearing is expected in December.
Violent crime is falling sharply under the Memphis SAFE Task Force, yet several local officials continue to escalate their opposition. Their objections reflect political identity, administrative failures and a struggle for narrative control.
Updated Memphis SAFE Task Force data shows serious crime down 32 percent and calls for service down 20 percent during the operation’s first six weeks. The decline comes as local Democratic officials continue challenging the National Guard deployment in court.
The latest Memphis SAFE data show serious crimes down by nearly half compared with 2024, including major drops in robbery, assault, and auto theft.
A Davidson County judge will soon decide whether Gov. Bill Lee’s deployment of the Tennessee National Guard to Memphis violates state law, after a tense hearing highlighting the clash between executive power and local authority.