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As the Memphis Safe Task Force nears the end of its third week in Memphis, bookings at Shelby County courts have nearly doubled. Data indicates most arrests continue to be for non-violent and immigration-related offenses. Here's the latest news on federal agencies in Memphis. Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris says National Guard presence has doubled During a press conference Wednesday, Oct. 22, Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris said the presence of the National Guard in Memphis had more than doubled. Harris said his information came from "a variety of sources," but did not name those sources during the press conference. According to Harris' sources, there were 64 National Guardsmen in Memphis from Oct. 13 through Oct. 17. As of the week of Oct. 20, however, he said that number increased to 159. It is still not clear what National Guard troops have been doing in Memphis. They have frequently been spotted around Downtown Memphis, and on Beale Street during events. Harris, along with a group of other local and state elected officials, is currently suing Gov. Bill Lee over the deployment. Most task force arrests for non-violent offenses As of Oct. 21, the majority of arrests made by the Memphis Safe Task Force have been for non-violent offenses, according to data provided by the task force. Most arrests were for non-violent weapon and drug possession charges. Data provided by Guay on Oct. 21 lacked the "administrative," or immigration-related offense, category. According to the data Guay provided, there had been 1,267 total arrests as of Oct. 21. Of the listed arrest numbers, there were nine homicide arrests, 142 narcotics arrests, 127 firearms charges, 501 warrants served, two probation or parole arrests, 51 sex offender charges and 192 "other" offense arrests. Totaling the arrests in those categories leaves a difference of 243. The task force did not respond to questions about whether that number was indicative of how many immigration-related arrests had been made. Bookings nearly double during task force activity Bookings and bond-settings have nearly doubled compared to past years, according to Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris. During a Wednesday, Oct. 22, press conference, Harris presented data taken between Oct. 6 and Oct. 12 for this year, 2024 and 2023. Both bookings and bail settings stayed consistent in 2023 and 2024, but nearly doubled during that period this year. Federal agencies began arriving in Memphis Sept. 29, and the National Guard began patrols Oct. 10. Jack Armstrong covers breaking news and the environment for The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached at jack.armstrong@commercialappeal.com and followed on X @jca2902. Lucas Finton covers crime, policing, jails, the courts and criminal justice policy for The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached by phone or email: (901)208-3922 and Lucas.Finton@commercialappeal.com, and followed on X @LucasFinton. This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis' National Guard deployment doubles, Shelby County mayor says
