Jim Leach began his law enforcement career in 1975, and he shares his insights as a multimedia analyst and consultant for Golden Media Group in matters relating to Criminal Justice. Mr. Leach is a graduate of the FBI National Academy, 133rd Session, in Quantico, Virginia.
We were putting together lesson plans for classes to combat domestic bio-terrorism attacks. One of the guys involved in our prep work said we should “Plan the work, then work the plan.” That sounds simple and makes a lot of sense, but we seldom see it done in large operations. The Memphis Safe Task Force, which is battling violent crime in Memphis, has proven that using this recipe can yield excellent results.
In September, 2025, local, state, and federal authorities announced the beginning of a joint effort involving all levels of law enforcement, the Tennessee National Guard, and others, to attack violent crime in the Home of the Blues. Their stated objective was to “end street and violent crime in Memphis to the greatest possible extent through the promotion and facilitation of hypervigilant policing”.
In a recent press release, Marshal Tyreece Miller of the Western District of Tennessee, describes the extent of the Task Force’s success. 9,312 total arrests, 73 for murder, 877 for firearms (1559 guns seized), 105 for sex offenses, and more than 1,000 of the arrests involved controlled substances. Particularly disturbing were the numbers showing that 260 of those arrested were juveniles and 960 were known gang members.
Not since Larry Finch and Ronnie Robinson led the Tigers through March Madness in 1973 has Memphis gotten so much good national publicity.
The question now becomes, will there be a lasting impact from all these arrests? It takes a tremendous commitment to continue a program like this. Obviously, it costs a lot of money. To keep the money rolling, the program must be sold to the public politically. The money won’t be there if the politics are not right.
If the money is available, good people must be hired. The applicant pool for police work has been relatively small over the last few years.
If new officers are hired, they must be used for the intended purpose, to attack violent crime. Too many times in government work, people are hired for a particular purpose, and then they gradually drift into other areas where the administration decides the new help is needed worse elsewhere.
Perhaps the bosses feel the need to throw a little manpower on a politically hot issue.
Remember, “Plan the work and work the plan”, is sometimes easier said than done!
A huge question is how to create a lasting deterrent effect. A little time in jail may not discourage violent criminals. Many of the folks committing violent crimes at the street level may even perceive a little jail time as a way to build up their credentials (street creds) with their buddies. We must deliver serious sentences to violent criminals and ensure they are served. We will need plenty of good judges to dish out long sentences and housing to incarcerate hard line criminals.
We tend to be attentive to what is bothering us the most at any particular time. One of the things most of us are paying attention to now is the price of gas. The next time you are pumping gas into your vehicle, imagine that you look around and see 2 large, young men heading toward you.
One of them is holding a gun, and the other has a tire tool. All of a sudden, the price of gas won’t matter to you quite as much.
Violent crime is a problem we all need to think about. Be aware of your surroundings at all times.
Please tell officers you appreciate what they do and let your elected officials know how you feel about these issues.
