A seasoned ex-detective from Chicago is suggesting that his city might benefit from following the lead of a southern metropolis where a significant decrease in murders followed the arrival of National Guard troops. This could offer Chicago insights into solving its ongoing crime challenges.
According to statistics from the Major Cities Chiefs Association, Memphis saw a dramatic 43.7% drop in homicides during the first half of 2026 compared to the same stretch in the previous year. This came after President Donald Trump signed an executive order in September 2025, which led to the arrival of the National Guard in Memphis that autumn.
Monday night proved to be a harsh reminder of Chicago’s struggle with violence, as nine individuals were shot, including three fatalities. One particularly severe episode involved two men suffering critical injuries in a shooting in the Near North Side area of the city.
In Chicago, a police officer was on the scene where a shooting left a 47-year-old man and a 39-year-old man wounded on the 2400 block of West Monroe Street on July 7, 2024. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
“We were relaxing in our living room, mistaking the noise for another random rainstorm hitting the city,” one resident shared with FOX 32. “Then, as we peeked outside through our windows, we witnessed police lights illuminating the entire street.”
Retired Chicago Police Chief of Detectives Eugene Roy told News Media that Chicago officials aren’t utilizing federal resources to clean up the city’s crime problem amid a shortage of officers.
“Chicago has just 2,500 fewer police officers than it did just two or three years ago. You can’t keep doing more with less. It’s got to come down,” Roy said. “As far as cooperation in preventative levels, which involves street-level policing, there’s very little cooperation, if any, between Chicago and the federal authorities.”
The city’s police officer shortage has been exacerbated by a November 2025 decision to pause classes at its training academy and slow hiring to roughly 50 recruits per month, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. The cut in training and hiring was made to address a $1.2 billion budget shortfall that the city faced.
Historic Beale Street, known as the Home of the Blues in Memphis, Tennessee, USA. (Ron Buskirk/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images))
Roy pointed to Memphis in particular as a “success story” on what happens when local and state governments effectively partner with the federal government, as the National Guard and federal law enforcement agencies surged into the city.
“Memphis is a success story on how this can work out. From the material I’ve looked at, they had cooperation from the governor on down, some reluctance at the city level, but they’ve done the right things the right way and it results in the, it’s produced the results,” Roy said.
“The mere presence of police serves as a disincentive to commit crime. You want people to say, ‘hey, people are going out to do something, a robbery, a burglary or whatever. Man, it’s hot out here. The police are everywhere. Let’s forget about it. Let’s do it a different time, a different place. Let’s move on.’ That’s how you prevent crime.”
“Done right, done properly, it is a godsend,” he said.
Memphis recorded 67 homicides in the first six months of 2026, down from 119 during the same period in 2025, according to the Major Cities Chiefs Association.
Chicago Police Department headquarters on May 17, 2021. (Chicago Tribune via Getty Images)
If done properly in Chicago, Roy said bringing in the National Guard to help would “mirror those in Memphis and other locations where there’s been a truly cooperative effort between the federal and local government.”
Roy said it’s not entirely unprecedented for a Democratic governor to deploy its National Guard to deter crime.
New York Democrat Gov. Kathy Hochul deployed at least 1,000 National Guard members to New York City’s subway system in March 2024 following a series of high-profile crimes, saying it creates a deterrent effect.
“For people who are thinking about bringing a gun or knife on the subway, at least this creates a deterrent effect. They might be thinking, ‘You know what, it just may just not be worth it because I listened to the mayor and I listened to the governor and they have a lot more people who are going to be checking my bags,'” Hochul said.
News Media reached out to the Chicago Police Department and the Illinois governor’s office for comment.