The National Guard and a dozen other agencies will begin arriving in Memphis the week of Sept. 29 as part of the “Memphis Safe Task Force,” Gov. Bill Lee announced in a Sept. 26 press conference.
The “Memphis Safe Task Force” includes members of the National Guard, highway patrol officers, and personnel from multiple federal agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Justice and the Department of Health and Human Services.
Here’s what to expect.
Where will the National Guard be?
The City of Memphis published a “Safe & Clean” webpage to inform residents about the initiative, according to a Sept. 26 press release. The webpage called the task force a city-wide initiative.
“You may see them throughout the community, but their role is to provide support, not to act as frontline police,” read a statement in a frequently asked questions section.
President Donald Trump’s Sept. 15 memoranda mentioned Graceland, Beale Street and the Memphis Pyramid as historic landmarks that should be safe to visit, but it’s unclear if agents will be deployed to those locations specifically.
What will the National Guard and federal agencies be doing in Memphis?
National Guard members will not be making arrests or issuing warrants, and they will not be armed unless local law enforcement requests they be armed.
The goals of the federal action are to end violent and street crime and to enforce “quality-of-life violations” more consistently, according to the webpage.
Major General Warner A. Ross II, the adjutant general for the Tennessee National Guard, looks on as Governor Bill Lee discusses the deployment of the National Guard and other state and national resources to Memphis at a press conference in Memphis, Tenn., on September 26, 2025.
The National Guard will be playing a support role to local, federal and state agencies, serving as “extra eyes and ears,” in Memphis neighborhoods, according to the city. Federal agencies will provide “specialized support ranging from crime prevention to blight reduction to homelessness services.”
The city presented the initiative as a sustained campaign, as opposed to the emergency takeover ordered in Washington, D.C., in August.
The city information page notes members of the National Guard will not be wearing masks, and armored tanks will not be a resource used in this mission.
Citizens’ rights remain the same with the National Guard as with city police, according to the webpage. Citizens can always request an officer or Guard member’s name and badge number.
Jack Armstrong covers breaking news and the environment for The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached at jack.armstrong@commercialappeal.com and followed on X @jca2902.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: National Guard, FBI, other agencies coming to Memphis: What to know