NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — New FBI data shows violent crime is hitting two of Tennessee’s largest cities hard.
The FBI ranked Memphis number one in the country for its violent crime rate per capita, with 2,501 violent crimes per 100,000 people. Nashville came in at number eight, with 1,124 violent crimes per 100,000 people, according to the FBI data.
The numbers were released following President Donald Trump’s appearance on a conservative radio show hosted by Todd Starnes, where he mentioned he’d consider sending federal troops to Memphis to fight crime.
“I can put that early on the list, and I’m sure the people would love it.”
Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) issued the following statement to News 2 in support of the measure:
“Blue cities like Memphis need all the help they can get to combat violent crime, and I’m grateful for President Trump’s tremendous work to hold leftist officials accountable for putting their own citizens at risk by pushing soft-on-crime agendas. I support the Trump administration’s efforts to restore law and order in lawless cities across America, and I’ll continue to work with the President, Attorney General Bondi, and Director Patel to do whatever it takes to make cities like Memphis safe again.”
However, Gov. Bill Lee (R-TN) told News 2 in late August deploying troops to any city in TN isn’t necessary.
“There are no circumstances that currently exist that we believe warrant that, so we’re not even talking about that,” Gov. Lee said. “It’s not a concern for us right now.”
Gov. Lee cited data from the city of Memphis that said crime is down by 15%. He credited the state’s efforts, including violence intervention grants, expansion of the TN Highway Patrol, and collaboration with the FBI, U.S. Marshals, and other federal agencies.
“We care deeply about what’s happening in the streets and communities across our state… especially where we have challenges like in Memphis. That’s why we’ve engaged the FBI, the U.S. Marshals, the THP, the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, the Memphis Police Department; intervention grant funds,” Gov. Lee said. “That’s why there’s such a strong collaborative effort right now going on in Memphis to make sure people who live in that community are safe, but we have no plans to put the National Guard there now.”
Gov. Lee added he hasn’t spoken with the federal government about any plans to deploy the National Guard or other troops to Memphis or another TN city.
