A retired Chicago police detective has pointed to a sharp drop in murders in Memphis, Tennessee, as a model Chicago could follow, crediting the deployment of National Guard troops and closer federal-local cooperation. The comments come as Chicago continues to suffer high levels of gun violence, including nine people shot, three fatally, in a single night this week, while the city grapples with a significant shortage of police officers.

Memphis recorded 67 homicides in the first half of 2026, down from 119 in the same period last year, a 43.7% fall, after President Trump authorised National Guard deployment there in September 2025. Retired Chicago Chief of Detectives Eugene Roy said Chicago has roughly 2,500 fewer officers than a few years ago, a shortage worsened by a pause in police academy training and slower recruitment introduced in November 2025 to address a $1.2 billion budget shortfall, and argued that a genuine federal-local partnership, similar to one seen when New York deployed National Guard troops to its subway system in 2024, could replicate Memphis's success.