LEILA FADEL, HOST:
President Trump's federal intervention in Memphis to, as he puts it, fight crime has begun. The operation is said to include more than a dozen federal agencies and the National Guard. As NPR's Kat Lonsdorf reports from Memphis, many residents are hoping that the task force will help.
KAT LONSDORF, BYLINE: Ronnie Davis (ph) was at his job in the northern neighborhood of Frayser when he says he saw a man get shot in the head outside the window.
RONNIE DAVIS: Guy gets shot in his head right here on this lot.
LONSDORF: He says gun violence like that has gotten so common in this neighborhood, he's almost numb to it. And he says he welcomes the federal intervention.
R DAVIS: We need all the government agencies that we can get down here because the problem's becoming overwhelming.
LONSDORF: This intervention is part of President Trump's calls for National Guard troops and federal officers in about a half a dozen American cities, which has led to protests, outcry and legal challenges elsewhere. For Davis, though, it's not political. Instead, he sees this as an opportunity to get the city some much-needed help. Memphis has one of the highest violent crime rates in the country, according to data from the FBI, of which police Chief CJ Davis says she's well aware.
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CJ DAVIS: This operation is going to be one that will help us to put a dent.
LONSDORF: Speaking at a press conference late last week, she acknowledged that crime rates in the city have been going down in the past year, partially because federal agencies have already been in the city.
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C DAVIS: But we can't take the bar where we need it to be unless we get the federal resources that have been sort of absent, at least at the magnitude that it needs to be in our city.
THADDEUS JOHNSON: We know the task force that collaborate with local authorities - it really works.
LONSDORF: Thaddeus Johnson is a former high-ranking Memphis police officer. He's also a senior fellow for the Council on Criminal Justice and teaches at Georgia State University. He says what he's watching with this task force is whether Memphis can sustain whatever gains are made after the federal resources leave.
JOHNSON: The federal government kind of has a habit of they'll come in. They'll search. They'll do their thing, and then they leave. And cities are left to kind of deal with the burden.
LONSDORF: Johnson, who was born and raised in Memphis, says he's trying to maintain cautious optimism.
JOHNSON: But I am concerned about the infrastructure that Memphis has in place right now. And will what they have be able to line up with the vision that I'm talking about here?
LONSDORF: To make a long-term difference for the people of Memphis, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee - a Republican who supports the plan - has said its rollout will be slow and that it will last weeks, maybe even months.
Kat Lonsdorf, NPR News, Memphis. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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