NEW You can now listen to Fox News stories! Betsy Brantner Smith spoke to Fox News Digital. “Every large crime-ridden city should take a closer look at the level and cooperation between state, federal and local law enforcement. When you combine this with prosecutors and judges who were willingly following along, it is something that everyone in the country should be aware of. The White House reports that since the Memphis Safe Task Force’s formation, more than 7,400 arrests have been made in connection with homicides and other crimes, including sexual offenses, gang warfare, and drug trafficking. The task force has also seized 1,219 weapons illegally and located 150 children. Federal agents first arrived in Memphis, Tennessee in September. “I can say that it’s gotten much better with comparison.” I’ve never seen anything as bad as two years ago,” Hardin stated.LISTEN TO ‘CRIME AND JUSTICE WITH DONNA ROTUNNO’ PODCASTFor a first time in 2019, Memphis Police Department recorded fewer than 200 murders in 2025. Find out more on the TRUE CRIME Hub”People in uniform showing up and making arrests or taking people to jail are one of the most effective deterrents to crime,” Smith said. “And if those arrested are prosecuted and sent to jail, then the word gets around that if you are arrested, you will go to jail,” Smith said. You won’t be back in your neighborhood in six hours committing the same crimes. She also drew an immediate parallel between what is happening in Washington, D.C. and the success in Memphis, saying that the two are “similar”. “CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD FOX NEWS APPAccording the Metropolitan Police Department, violent crimes in Washington, D.C. are down by 5% compared to what they were in 2025, however, there was a 29% decrease in 2025 compared with 2024. The National Guard was deployed by President Trump to Washington, D.C., in August. According to data, homicides have dropped 53% between 2025 and 2026.
