On this week’s Behind the Headlines on WKNO/Channel 10, Shelby County Commissioners Amber Mills, Charlie Caswell Jr., and Mick Wright joined host Eric Barnes and Daily Memphian reporter Bill Dries. Guests discussed the National Guard deployment in Memphis, conditions and funding for county jails, and local school board elections.
In September, President Donald Trump signed a memorandum creating the “Memphis Safe Task Force.” The order authorized up to 1,000 National Guard members to assist local law enforcement for up to a year, coordinating with multiple federal agencies, including the FBI, ATF, and U.S. Marshals Service.
Barnes began this week's show by discussing the increasing federal presence and asked the commissioners for their stance on the matter.
Commissioner Amber Mills welcomed the support. “I think it’s wonderful,” she said. “I was excited to hear that we were getting the help from the federal government and that Gov. Lee was stepping in and helping as well.” Mills said local officers “are so happy to have the reinforcement and the support,” adding that “this is what civilized society is supposed to be—and this is not what we’ve had lately.”
Commissioner Charlie Caswell, who represents parts of Frayser and Raleigh, said his community has long needed help addressing violent crime, but added that enforcement alone isn’t enough. “It goes deeper,” he said. “It’s the poverty that I’ve seen for 20, 30 years. It’s the disinvestment around education... the trauma, but no mental health [services]. We have to invest there at the root cause, while at the same time addressing the violent criminals.”
Commissioner Mick Wright, who also works with Youth Villages’ Memphis Allies initiative, said he’s already noticed the impact of the increased law-enforcement activity. “Coming in today, I saw multiple officers out on the street making stops, and you just get a sense of better safety,” he said. “If there’s no consequence, if that piece is missing, the whole system falls apart.”
The commissioners also discussed public concerns about oversight. Wright emphasized that “just because you’re wearing a badge doesn’t necessarily mean you’re a person of character,” adding that agencies must follow proper supervision and “treat people with respect.”
Mills said she believes the agencies “know they’re under a microscope” and will act responsibly.
Caswell, however, said recent rhetoric from Washington—encouraging police to “be police”—has caused fear in Black communities. “To the Black community, I know it put fear in us… because we’re talking about historical trauma that’s now rising up in many people,” he said.
Turning to local implications, Caswell said he hopes collaboration between the sheriff’s office, MPD, and federal agencies, like the FBI and TBI, continues after the Guard leaves. “Hopefully they train them on how to do collaborative policing together — Even after they’re gone,” he said.
Wright agreed, calling the federal response necessary but temporary: “This was the community that needed it… We had the highest homicide rate in the entire country, and you’ve got to have a response that meets that need.”
Mills said she believes the long-term solution lies with voters. “It falls on the people to elect in 2026 local [officials who] will help law enforcement,” she said.
The discussion then shifted to the county jails.
Wright noted that Shelby County has spent millions on maintenance at 201 Poplar, yet it still faces overcrowding.
Caswell described conditions there as “so bad I wouldn’t want to put a dog in some of that space.”
Mills, who has pushed for a new jail, said she had advocated in Nashville for a referendum to let taxpayers decide how to fund it. “What we don’t want is the federal government to come in [and say] ‘Now you have to build it,’” she said, warning that could lead to tax hikes in already the highest-taxed county in the state.
Finally, the commissioners debated Mayor Lee Harris’ veto of a resolution that would have shortened some school board members’ terms to align all elections on one ballot.
Wright said he opposed the veto because “we need more accountability for the schools.”
Agreeing, Mills said a stronger school system would attract families and new residents.
Ultimately, Caswell disagreed, arguing that changing terms mid-cycle would be unconstitutional. “They [were elected to serve] for four years; they should get their four years and then they change it then,” he said.
