Thousands of arrests by Trump’s crime-fighting task force in Memphis strain crowded jail and courts

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — A task force ordered by President Donald Trump Memphis has made thousands of arrests to fight crime in Tennessee, increasing pressure on the busy local court system and an already overcrowded jail in what officials say will last months or even years as cases continue.

Since late September, hundreds of federal, state and local law enforcement personnel have been Memphis Safe Task Force They stopped traffic, issued search warrants and searched for fugitives in the city of about 610,000 people. Data provided by the task force and Memphis police show more than 2,800 people were arrested and more than 28,000 traffic tickets were issued.

Task force including National Guard troopsIt is supported by Republican Gov. Bill Lee and others who hope the increase will reduce crime in a city plagued by violent crime, including nearly 300 homicides last year and nearly 400 in 2023.

From 2018 to 2024, homicides in Memphis increased 33% and aggravated assaults increased 41%, according to AH Datalytics, which tracks crime across the country using data from local law enforcement agencies. Real Time Crime Index. But AH Datalytics reports that those numbers fell 20% in the first nine months of this year, before the team even started working.

Opponents of the task force in predominantly Black Memphis say it targets minorities and intimidates law-abiding Latinos, some of whom skip work and change social habits like avoiding going to church or restaurants out of fear they will be harassed and unjustly detained. Statistics released at the end of October showed that 319 people have been arrested so far due to administrative arrest warrants dealing with immigration-related issues.

Their influence spread beyond the streets, into decrepit courthouses and troubled prisons. Officials are concerned that long waits in traffic court are causing people to miss work and overflowing criminal court files are causing inmates to spend extra days awaiting bail hearings.

“The human cost of this is staggering,” said Josh Spickler, executive director of Just City, a Memphis-based organization that advocates for justice in the criminal justice system.

The mayor of Shelby County, which includes Memphis, has requested more judges hear cases that could drag on for months or years. County officials are discussing opening the court at night and on weekends; It’s a move that will help manage the caseload but will be more costly.

Meanwhile, officials say inmates at the Shelby County Jail are being transferred to other facilities due to overcrowding. Jail inmates sleep in chairs, and jail officials are seeking funds from county commissioners to help address problems such as corrections staff shortages.

These issues raise concerns among activists and officials about the safety of a prison that has resulted in 65 deaths since 2019, according to Just City. Steve Mulroy, the county’s district attorney, said a backlog of court cases means defendants and crime victims may spend an unfair amount of time dealing with the criminal justice system.

“The deployment of the task force probably would have required more planning,” said Mulroy, a Democrat whose office is cooperating with the task force. “More thought could have been given to the negative effects of increased arrest numbers.”

Prison officer asks for help

According to county statistics, there were hundreds more jail and bail bonds in the first few weeks of the task force’s work than during the same period last year; This represents an increase of approximately 40% in each category.

The prison, which has a normal capacity of 2,400, had an average daily population of 3,195 inmates in September, the latest month for which statistics are available. County officials said that number is expected to increase in October.

As of mid-November, 250 prison inmates were housed in other facilities, compared to 80 in November 2024. Some of them are outside Shelby County, making it difficult for attorneys and relatives to visit and increasing the cost of bringing defendants to Memphis for trial.

In a letter to commissioners, Chief Warden Kirk Fields requested at least $1.5 million in emergency funds, noting that more inmates means more spending on food, clothing, bedding and linens.

Assistance to courts

One issue is whether there are enough judges to hear cases, especially after lawmakers eliminated two judges in last year’s session.

On Oct. 31, Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris wrote a letter to state court officials requesting additional judges, saying the county was preparing to arrest at least 3,500 to 5,000 people. He wrote that more arrests would increase prison costs and potentially lead to the hiring of more public defenders, prosecutors and prison employees.

“This puts Shelby County in extreme financial jeopardy,” Harris wrote.

The Tennessee Supreme Court’s response noted that although lower court justices have stated that no more justices are needed at this time, two senior justices have been appointed to assist if needed.

The state is monitoring the situation, the governor said earlier this month, adding, “Part of this is understanding what the pace is going to look like over the next few months and then developing a strategy.”

Some officials have suggested holding Saturday hearings and night court sessions two or three nights a week, Mulroy said. They considered having a clinic where people with arrest warrants for misdemeanors could turn themselves in, thus exonerating them.

Mulroy’s office is also re-evaluating whether detention is warranted for people jailed in hundreds of low-level cases.

“If there is no basis to think they are a danger to the community or a flight risk and they are there simply because they cannot post bail, we may take a second look,” he wrote.

Task force says effective

Ryan Guay, a spokesman for the U.S. Marshals Service and the task force, told The Associated Press that the high volume of arrests reflects the force’s effectiveness.

“We recognize that this success places additional demands on the broader criminal justice system, including courts and detention facilities,” Guay said.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons said it is making a satellite prison camp available to the task force. The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office will have oversight of the facility, the bureau said. A spokesman for the sheriff’s office declined to comment on the location of the camp, citing operational security.

___

Associated Press reporter Christopher L. Keller in Albuquerque, New Mexico contributed.