MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WREG) — During an appearance on a Sunday morning show, the Director of the FBI called Memphis the “Homicide Capital of America.”
“I didn’t know this until my confirmation process, but Memphis, Tennessee, is the homicide capital of America per capita – didn’t know that, we have a problem there,” Kash Patel told Fox News. “We’re now addressing it. We’re rolling out one of our task forces to Tennessee.”
Senator Brent Taylor responded to Patel’s claims on social media and said that he’s happy to see Patel and the FBI take Memphis’ crime surge seriously.
“With unwavering resolve, I’m fighting to #MakeMemphisMatter, showcasing our city’s potential to my Senate colleagues,” said Taylor. “With the Trump Administration’s support, we’re poised to tackle crime head-on, proving Memphis is a vibrant community worthy of investment and a brighter future.”
Taylor said he’s sometimes felt like the only one trying to raise awareness of the crime epidemic by calling out judges and the Shelby County DA for being soft on crime. He said it is time for the FBI to step in and help.
“Finally, maybe the grown-ups will show up here and start making arrests and prosecutions at the federal level that we don’t seem to be doing at the state level. So, at this point, we don’t know how they’ll be involved,” Taylor said.
This comes nearly a month after Memphis Police Chief CJ Davis called youth gun violence a catastrophic situation. At the time, the police department had responded to 28 homicides in 25 days.
Taylor said the city is sliding into chaos, and it’s beyond local officials’ ability to stop that slide.
“Last week, I had a meeting with the governor’s office and talking about some initiatives that I think will help add ranks to the Memphis Police Department, and also in terms of perhaps a Crown consultant for, the state of Tennessee that would, make recommendations back to the state about what policies, laws that need to be changed and make those recommendations to us,” stated Taylor.
Sen. Taylor said it’s possible the FBI will reopen a field office in Memphis that moved to Nashville last year.
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