Tennessee governor predicts lengthy Memphis crime fight

​​Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee said the Memphis Safe Task Force is “going to last months” or could last forever.(Photo: John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout)

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee said Tuesday the crime-fighting “surge” of state and federal officers in Memphis will be a long-term effort.

At a Memphis press conference, Lee said the operation’s success will be measured by the reduction of violent crime but gave no specific targets.

“We do know this is going to last for months, and we have just begun. In fact, I will tell you that it will last forever,” Lee said.

At the direction of President Donald Trump and Lee, the U.S. Marshals Service is leading a force made up of local authorities and some 700 officers from the Tennessee Highway Patrol, multiple federal agencies and the Tennessee National Guard. 

Lee said the number of officers “will diminish at some point” but that efforts between local, state and federal authorities will continue in some form in perpetuity.

“It’ll just change in its scope as we execute through the mission,” Lee said.

The Department of Justice released figures to Action News 5 in Memphis this week showing 803 total arrests from Sept. 29 through Oct. 12. More than half of those arrests were for outstanding warrants or deemed administrative, which has meant immigration violations in the past. An outstanding warrant could be for a range of legal violations, such as a missed probation appointment. 

The Department of Justice is releasing overall figures on the operation but not individual reports to allow the public to determine its effectiveness.

At the news conference Tuesday, Lee reported conflicting data compared to the DOJ, saying the task force has arrested 850 violent criminals and “known” gang members. 

Lee has said repeatedly the mission will continue until Memphis streets are safe.

Memphis Democratic state Rep. Gabby Salinas said Tuesday the governor’s comments display a lack of planning and transparency.

“They didn’t have a plan going in. They don’t have an exit strategy, and … every operation should have a clear, concise plan and goals that need to be achieved,” Salinas said.

Even as Lee touted progress, Salinas said two Memphis Police officers were arrested for drag racing and a murder took place recently, despite the buildup of state and federal authorities.

“This has not been a transparent process from the beginning,” Salinas said, “and we are seeing a lot of innocent people get caught up in the system.”

Authorities are stopping people for minor offenses and then figuring out which ones to charge, she said, displaying “disorganization within the leadership.”

Reducing poverty and improving education are proven methods for cutting crime, Salinas said, but she pointed out the governor eliminated a critical summer food program that helped Memphis families.

Memphis Mayor Paul Young expressed support for the crime-fighting effort, saying the community has been looking for solutions to crime for years.

“Our team on the city side is committed to that mission,” he said, adding police are “aligning” with federal and state authorities to cut into organized crime and gang activity.