(The Center Square) – The Memphis Safe Streets Task Force arrested more than 10,000 people and seized 1,178 illegal firearms since September, the U.S. Marshals Service said Wednesday.
The Task Force is a collaboration of local, state and national agencies, including the Tennessee National Guard. The 10,017 arrests include 92 for homicide and more than 1,000 drug arrests, according to the U.S. Marshals Service. In addition, 154 missing children were located.
“This is a significant milestone for the dedicated men and women working around the clock to end street and violent crime in Memphis,” said Tyreece Miller, U.S. marshal for the Western District of Tennessee, in a statement. “By removing these illicit firearms from Memphis streets and making 10,000 arrests, we have achieved unprecedented results, not just for the Task Force, but for all the residents and visitors to our beloved city.”
President Donald Trump signed a memorandum of understanding on Sept. 15 that created the task force and included the deployment of the National Guard.
At least three lawsuits have targeted the task force since its inception. The most recent lawsuit concerns legislation that requires Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy to file reports with the General Assembly on dismissed or settled task force cases every 10 days. The case also challenges a law that allows the state to audit charges brought by Mulroy regarding the task force. The bills were passed by the General Assembly and signed into law by Gov. Bill Lee.
Mulroy sued the state in May in Shelby County Chancery Court, saying the laws are unconstitutional. Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti filed a motion to dismiss. The case is still pending.
In a separate lawsuit, a group of lawmakers and citizens challenging the National Guard’s deployment in Memphis lost a court battle on April 28 when the Tennessee Court of Appeals ruled against them.
“The Tennessee Court of Appeals has upheld a fundamental principle: policy disagreements belong at the ballot box, not in the courtroom,” Skrmetti said in a social media post about the ruling.
The American Civil Liberties Union filed a federal lawsuit that accuses the task force of violating the First Amendment rights of some Memphis residents who film law enforcement members when they are making an arrest. The lawsuit challenges Tennessee’s “Halo Law,” which requires the public to remain 25 feet away from law enforcement officers during an arrest or an investigation.
The case has not been decided.
