TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Julia Wilburn on Dec 2, 2025

Federal officials last week unveiled a new crime-reporting hotline for Memphis public housing residents, part of the Memphis Safe Task Force surge that has generated thousands of arrests. U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Scott Turner said the hotline is meant to provide residents of HUD-funded housing a direct line to report “criminals, illegal aliens, sex offenders, human traffickers and those guilty of gang activity, drug distribution and fraud.” Calls will go to the HUD Office of Inspector General, which investigates fraud, waste and abuse in government-subsidized housing. The office also will coordinate with the U.S. Department of Justice, the FBI and state and local law enforcement, Turner said. The Tennessee Lookout, which reported on the story, noted that federal law already bars most from public housing and mixed-status families make up less than 1% of assisted households nationwide. Federal and state leaders have praised the task force’s work amid reports that the influx of arrests is straining Shelby County courts and jails.