TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Azya Thornton on Oct 10, 2025

National Guard personnel were seen patrolling around the Bass Pro Shops at the Pyramid and Riverside Drive in downtown Memphis on Friday morning as part of the Memphis Safe Task Force, the Daily Memphian reports. The deployment marks the Tennessee National Guard’s first visible presence in the city under President Donald Trump’s multiagency crime reduction initiative. Guard members, some armed, were stationed inside and outside the Pyramid but did not appear to engage with shoppers. In early announcements about the Memphis Safe Task Force, Memphis Mayor Paul Young said the Guard would act as “eyes and ears.” Gov. Bill Lee called the Guard a “force multiplier” for local police, and said that personnel would not be making arrests.Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth could authorize the use of up to 1,000 Tennessee National Guard troops for one year.