Overview
- Four Memphis residents, who say they were harassed and arrested while recording officers, filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday targeting the Memphis Safe Task Force.
- The suit seeks court orders to stop alleged retaliation and contests Tennessee’s “Halo Law,” which requires people to stay 25 feet from officers after a warning and carries up to six months in jail and a $500 fine.
- The task force was ordered to Memphis by President Donald Trump and includes agents from 13 federal agencies working with Tennessee State Troopers and the National Guard.
- Plaintiffs cite more than 120,000 traffic stops since late September and argue officials failed to train agents not to punish lawful observers.
- Senior federal officials previously praised the surge, while requests for comment went unanswered Wednesday, and supporters point to 2025 crime statistics showing double-digit declines.