Memphis crime reduction is a win – and lesson – for Mississippi

• The law enforcement surge helps make North Mississippi safer by getting criminals off the streets before they can ever even get to the Magnolia State.

President Trump was in Memphis last week and not just to celebrate Elvis and visit Graceland, which he also did.

No, he was in Memphis to highlight the Memphis Safe Task Force, the overarching initiative to surge federal law enforcement and the national guard to the city to help clamp down on rampant crime.

The Task Force announced that it has now made 7,342 arrests. Of those thousands of arrests, 44 were for homicide, 812 for controlled substances, 6,402 for firearms violations and 94 for sex offenses. This also includes the arrests of 757 known gang members.

According to the White House, overall crime in Memphis has now dropped 43% compared to the same time last year. Additionally, motor vehicle thefts are down 67%, robberies are down 51%, sexual assaults are down 38%, homicides are down 35%, burglaries are down 32%, aggravated assaults are down 31%.

The facts are clear. This operation has been a massive, resounding success. And this is a huge win for Mississippi too. That’s because, ultimately, when Memphis fails, Mississippians pay the price. Crime bleeds across the border and hurts those in Southaven, Olive Branch, and Horn Lake as well. Thankfully though, in DeSoto County, we have a great sheriff and a great district attorney who do not tolerate such lawlessness on our side of the border.

The lesson for Mississippi and other states is clear too. When criminals are not arrested and laws are not enforced, you create a culture of lawlessness. That culture cannot be stopped through goodwill alone. It can only be stopped by removing the criminals who threaten the community.

Now unfortunately, not everyone is happy that the president came to visit to celebrate crime reduction. An online trend has emerged on TikTok and Instagram where people post themselves enjoying brunch and walking in their neighborhoods to counter the claims that the city was unsafe.

Put aside the fact that they are filming and posting these videos after the task force has already been wildly successful, but every single one I’ve seen has been posted from some of the bougiest and most high-end neighborhoods and parks that the city has to offer. Now, I’m a huge fan of Memphis and my wife and I really love spending time there, but anyone claiming that the city never had a crime problem would be absolutely wrong.

And for those enjoying relative bliss in some of the city’s best areas, the task force wasn’t just targeted at you. Though, of course, the law enforcement surge has undoubtedly made downtown, midtown, and other popular spots safer for locals and tourists alike to enjoy all that the city has to offer.

I’m less concerned for the unlikely change for the already-safe gated communities and more concerned for the child that has to walk home alone from the bus after school on Elvis Presley Blvd. I’m more concerned for the single mom who leaves work late at night along Park Avenue.

One mother who spoke at the event with President Trump perhaps summed up the Task Force’s effects best, “It’s been almost six months and it’s like a whole new world. That silence means everything to me. It means safety, it means peace, it means I can breathe again as a mother.”

This is the greatest effect of restoring safety to a community. All of our neighbors deserve to live in a community where public safety is upheld and defended vigorously, not just those who can afford it. Fundamentally, this means being willing to lock away those who threaten and disturb the people around them.

The tolerance of crime is not mercy. By letting criminals off the hook, politicians punish the victims and also destroy the communities they’re supposed to represent. Any toleration of crime undermines the peace that every family deserves to feel in their own neighborhoods.

So, this task force has proven to be a major win for Memphis and Mississippi. The law enforcement surge helps make North Mississippi safer by getting criminals off the streets before they can ever even get to our state. And on this side of the border, as we seek to counter crime in Mississippi, we would do well to remember what worked in Memphis.