Memphis Gets a Crime-Fighting Boost

A new team of law enforcement officers has started working in Memphis. This team is made up of people from different agencies. They made nine arrests on their first day. They also took two illegal guns off the streets. The team is called the Memphis Safe Task Force. It has members from 13 different agencies. These include the U. S. Marshals, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The president created this team to help fight crime in Memphis. The team is working with local and state officers. They are also getting help from the National Guard. The National Guard will not make arrests. They will just help by keeping an eye on things. Memphis has a big problem with crime. It has the highest violent crime rate in the country. But the crime rate has gone down by 22% compared to last year. The governor says this team is not the start of the effort. It is just speeding up the work that has already been done. Two important people will visit Memphis this week. They are the Attorney General and the Secretary of Defense. They want to see how the team is doing.