U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Tennessee State Senator Brent Taylor discussed crime reduction efforts in Memphis during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing titled “Blue City Chaos and Tragedy: How the Trump Administration is Addressing the Human Cost of Soft On Crime Policies.” The conversation focused on President Trump’s ‘Memphis Safe Task Force’ initiative, the outcomes of recent law enforcement operations, concerns about district attorney policies, and issues related to cargo theft.
Senator Blackburn highlighted the results of Operation Viper, an FBI-led effort in Memphis. She stated, “We are doing something about crime in Tennessee… We had phase one in Memphis this summer with the FBI and Operation Viper that was very successful. 500 plus arrests, over 100 federal indictments, and you have mentioned the Soros-funded DA that has been a stumbling block, as well as the juvenile court system that has been a stumbling block to addressing the crime situation. Now, phase two is in place, and this is the combination of the federal agencies, a dozen agencies, plus state resources with Tennessee Highway Patrol, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, and the National Guard.”
Addressing local prosecution policies, Blackburn commented on Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy’s approach since taking office in 2022. She said,“[Steve] Mulroy actually took office in 2022 and during his campaign, he stated… he would ‘avoid cash bail.’ And he also stated that he wanted to… ‘transform the criminal justice system…’ in Memphis, and certainly, he has done that. We have put a lot of energy into federal support and state support to make certain that Memphis is going to be safe. But it appears what we have is social justice activists who are trying to impede that progress.”
The discussion also covered cargo theft affecting Memphis due to its role as a major logistics hub.“Memphis is America’s distribution center with the Port of Memphis, all five Class A railroads, FedEx and I-40 that goes from the East Coast to the West Coast,” Blackburn noted.“and this status as a logistics hub has drawn these cartels and gangs and organized crime rings to Memphis, and they’re attacking our supply chains.”
State Senator Taylor provided additional context regarding cargo theft reporting:“Memphis Police report that cargo thefts are down in Memphis… When I checked into that… not all incidents of cargo theft are reported [to]the same agency. So many times they may be reported to railroad police or other state and federal agencies. So,the Memphis Police Department may not know that there has been cargo theft or that a particular agency is investigating it.But what’s happening now is the railroad companies are having to take actions themselves.One railroad company,moved their intermodal yard to a nearby county so they don’t have to stop in Memphis.The railroads are now coordinating their time through switches so they don’t have to stop in Memphis.”
Recent efforts by federal,state,and local authorities aim at reducing crime rates through multi-agency collaboration,increased law enforcement presence,and changes within judicial processes.
