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Tennessee National Guard troops are set to begin patrolling the streets of Memphis on Friday (October 10), per Newsweek.
The deployment comes after the Memphis Safe Task Force, a multi-agency initiative aiming to address violent crime in the city, launched last month. The task force includes Memphis Police, Tennessee Highway Patrol, and more than a dozen federal agencies, including the FBI, DEA, and U.S. Marshals Service.
In an update, Memphis officials claimed the National Guard's role will be limited. Troops will wear standard uniforms, won’t make arrests or serve warrants, and will act as additional “eyes and ears” under the direction of the U.S. Marshals Service, the city said.
“All resources are here to assist with and support local priorities,” the city’s website states, noting that the task force is a “sustained campaign,” not an emergency measure.
In the wake of the deployment, Memphis Mayor Paul Young (D) released a statement, saying the move is meant to reinforce public safety efforts and not replace local law enforcement.
“This is our moment to show the world the truth about Memphis,” Young said. “We are a city that rises, a city that leads, and a city that defines itself not by challenges, but by our culture, innovation, and hope.”
The Memphis deployment comes just days after two federal judges in Illinois blocked the Trump administration from deploying National Guard forces in Chicago.
“Flooding the city we love with hundreds of federal, state, and local agents … is dangerous and counterproductive,” Claire Gardner, community engagement director for the ACLU of Tennessee, said in a statement.
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