Fed Law Officers Rescued Memphis From 3rd-World Murder Stats
A memphis local describes how the presence of National guard troops and federal law enforcement has transformed downtown Memphis,bringing a welcome sense of safety and mobility to the community. The piece recalls that Memphis once had the nation’s worst violent crime rate, with about 400 homicides in 2023 and a murder rate around 41 per 100,000, a figure compared unfavorably to some high-crime countries. The author argues that restoring order is essential for the city’s economic vitality and quality of life, noting visible improvements in neighborhoods, more people traveling around the city, and better opportunities for investment.He credits the law enforcement surge with enabling local police to focus on routine policing—more patrols, faster responses, and a drastic reduction in outstanding warrants. Year-to-date data show downtown crime down about 34% in 2026 vs. 2025, with homicides down 32% and overall crime down roughly 30%. The author, who recently welcomed his own baby in Memphis, asserts that thes safety gains lay the foundation for the city’s continued cultural and economic resurgence and encourages other communities to consider a similar approach.
A few days ago, I was driving through downtown Memphis to go to dinner with my wife when we passed a group of National Guard soldiers out on patrol. This has become an altogether frequent and welcome sight here in Bluff City, and the Guard’s positive effect has been widely felt.
There’s been a lot of national discussion and commentary about the presence of soldiers in our city, but the truth is clear for those here on the ground. Walk around Memphis today and the community feels transformed.
It wasn’t long ago that Memphis had the worst violent crime rate in the entire nation. In 2023 alone, the city had almost 400 homicides, a rate of approximately 41 killed in 100,000. Shockingly, the city of Memphis was rivaling Ecuador and Jamaica that year, which had two of the highest homicide rates in the world at 45.7 and 49.4, respectively. Some tried to dismiss just how bad things had gotten in Memphis, but those startling numbers firmly prove how dire the situation had become. The city was posting the crime rates of a third-world country, not something that should be expected of a successful American metropolitan center.
If that wasn’t a crisis, it’s hard to imagine what would be.
The fact is that society can only thrive when order is guaranteed. If basic protections crumble, then the liberties that one should be able to enjoy in a first-world country fall apart as well. Safety decays and business follows. For that reason, certain parts of the city seem to be little more than graveyards of hollowed-out buildings and warehouses that harken back to an age when the city’s future seemed golden and guaranteed.
Talk to the average person in Memphis, and he’s happy about the presence of the Guard. Around the suburbs, more community members feel comfortable travelling in and around the city again.
The surge of federal law enforcement hasn’t just meant high-profile arrests. The surge has also empowered Memphis police to do the much-needed routine police work that makes a city thrive. This is the ripple effect that the presence of federal law enforcement has ultimately had. With federal officers helping to take on large roles across the city, you see more local police doing the much-needed routine work that helps to keep any city safe. You see more cars out on patrol. You see more reckless highway speeders pulled over. You see faster response times to incidents in the community.
A great example of this effect is that the surge of federal law enforcement has helped to drastically drop the number of outstanding warrants. This has meant more criminals off the street. After all, the laws on our books mean nothing if they are not enforced and those who violate them don’t face actual punishment.
Beyond just the anecdotes, the year-to-date numbers speak to the real effects that the law enforcement surge and National Guard presence have had on our home here. Compared to 2025, crime in the downtown has dropped 34 percent so far in 2026, according to the City of Memphis. Homicides have dropped 32 percent. Overall crime is down around 30 percent. Those numbers aren’t abstracts. They mean more Memphis citizens alive and well and more Memphis families who can live safely and comfortably in the city.
This is incredibly personal to me. My wife and I just had a baby, born here in Memphis. I want my son to grow up with the chance to really love and experience the city he was born in. I also want my neighbors in the city, and all the other babies born here, to grow up in a place where they can safely walk to school, go to church, and enjoy everything their community has to offer.
I rest more comfortably knowing that Memphis is safer now thanks to the National Guard and law enforcement presence here. With the restoration of order, Memphis has a real opportunity to experience renewed investment. It has the foundation needed to be a great American city again. Elvis, B.B. King, and other legends performed here and called this place home. The barbecue is the best in the nation. FedEx and other great companies were born here and built the city into one of the logistics capitals of America.
The place has a history and a soul. But the next generation of musicians, chefs, and businesses will only be able to take off if we embrace the recent safety gains and continue the course.
This Memphis local, having seen what the law enforcement surge did here, would encourage other cities and states to play ball. The lesson from Memphis is neither ideological nor theoretical. It is practical. When law enforcement is empowered and reinforced, communities stabilize. When order is restored, opportunity follows.
The National Guard and law enforcement officers have been overwhelmingly good for us here, and they can undoubtedly do the same for other communities in need too. Folks just need to give them a chance to help.
Hunter Estes is a Memphis local.
" Conservative News Daily does not always share or support the views and opinions expressed here; they are just those of the writer."
*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases
