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A task force ordered by the President donald trump to deal with crime memphisTennessee, has made thousands of arrests, increasing the strain on a busy local court system and already overcrowded jails to such an extent that officials say cases will drag on for months or years.
Since late September, hundreds of federal, state and local law enforcement personnel associated with the Memphis SAFE Task Force have made traffic stops, served warrants and searched for fugitives in the city of about 610,000 people. Data provided by the task force and Memphis police show that more than 2,800 people have been arrested and more than 28,000 traffic citations have been issued.
The task force, which includes National Guard troops, is backed by Republican Governor Bill Lee and others who hope the increases will reduce crime in a city that has struggled with violent crime, including nearly 300 murders last year and nearly 400 in 2023.
From 2018 to 2024, murders in Memphis increased 33% and aggravated assaults increased 41%, according to AH Datalytics, which tracks crimes across the country using local law enforcement data for its Real-Time Crime Index. But AH Datalytics reported that during the first nine months of this year, that number had dropped by 20%, even before the task force got underway.
Opponents of the task force in majority-Black Memphis say it targets minorities and intimidates law enforcement latinoSome of whom have given up work and changed social habits, such as avoiding going to church or restaurants, fearing they will be harassed and falsely detained. Data released in late October showed that there have been 319 arrests so far on administrative warrants related to immigration-related issues.
Its impact has spread beyond the streets, into aging criminal courts and troubled prisons. Officials are concerned that long waits in traffic court cause people to miss work and that criminal courts are overcrowded, causing inmates to spend extra days waiting for bail hearings.
“The human cost of this is staggering,” said Josh Spickler, executive director of Just City, a Memphis-based organization that advocates for fairness in the criminal justice system.
mayor of Shelby CountyStates, including Memphis, have requested more judges to hear cases that could take months or years. County officials are discussing opening courts at night and on weekends, a move that would help manage the caseload but would cost more.
Meanwhile, officials say Shelby County Jail inmates are being moved to other facilities due to overcrowding. Inmates are sleeping on chairs at the jail, and jail officials are asking county commissioners for funding to address problems such as staff shortages.
These issues raise concerns from activists and officials about safety at the prison, which has seen 65 deaths since 2019, according to Just City. The court case backlog means defendants and crime victims can spend an unreasonable amount of time dealing with the criminal justice system, said Steve Mulroy, the county’s district attorney.
“Probably could have used more planning in the deployment of the task force,” said Mulroy, a Democrat whose office is cooperating with the task force. “More consideration could have been given to the negative impacts of the increased number of arrests.”
Jail officer asked for help
According to county statistics, there were hundreds more jail bookings and bail settings during the task force’s first several weeks of operation than during the comparable period last year, with each category increasing by nearly 40%.
The prison, which has a regular capacity of 2,400, had an average daily population of 3,195 inmates in September, the most recent month when figures were available. County officials said the numbers are expected to increase in October.
As of mid-November, 250 overflow prison detainees were being housed in other facilities, compared to 80 in November 2024. Some of them are outside Shelby County, making it difficult for lawyers and relatives to travel there and increasing the cost of bringing defendants to Memphis for trial.
In a letter to commissioners, Chief Jailer Kirk Fields requested at least $1.5 million in emergency funds, noting that more inmates mean more expenses for food, clothing, bedding and linens.
help in courts
One issue is whether there are enough judges to hear cases, especially after lawmakers eliminated two judgeships during last year’s session.
On October 31, Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris wrote to state court officials asking for additional judges, saying the county was preparing to arrest at least 3,500 to 5,000 people. More arrests increases prison costs and the potential hiring of more public defenders, prosecutors and prison staff, they wrote.
“This places Shelby County in extreme financial distress,” Harris wrote.
The Tennessee Supreme Court’s response said lower court judges have told them there is no need for more judges at this time, but two senior judges have been designated to help if needed.
“Part of it is to understand what the rhythm is going to look like over the next few months and then develop a strategy,” the governor said earlier this month, noting that the state is monitoring the situation.
Mulroy said some officials have proposed Saturday court sessions and night court sessions two or three nights a week. He has considered creating a clinic where people facing misdemeanor warrants can turn themselves in, to help get rid of them.
Mulroy’s office is also reevaluating whether detention is necessary for people jailed in hundreds of low-level cases.
“If there is no basis to think they are a threat to the community or a flight risk, and they are only there because they can’t afford their bail, then we might reconsider,” he wrote.
The task force says it is being effective
Ryan Guay, a spokesman for the U.S. Marshals Service and the task force, told The Associated Press that the large number of arrests reflects the effectiveness of the force.
“We recognize that this success places additional demands on the broader criminal justice system, including courts and detention facilities,” Guay said.
federal bureau of prisons has said it is providing a satellite prison camp to the task force. The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office will monitor the facility, the bureau said. A Sheriff’s Office spokesperson declined to comment on the location of the camp, citing operational security.
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Associated Press reporter Christopher L. in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Keller contributed.