Memphis Mayor Paul Young on Monday welcomed the prospect of having federal muscle tamp down crime in the city, a day after FBI Director Kash Patel called Memphis the “homicide capital of America.”

Mr. Young, a Democrat, said local police operations to find fugitives and arrest gang members have made progress, but would not turn down an offer from Washington to further eradicate Memphis’ criminal element.

“MPD has always collaborated with federal agencies on addressing violent crime, and we’re encouraged by any effort that brings more resources to Memphis,” Mr. Young said Monday in a statement. “We look forward to learning more from our federal law enforcement partners.”

The mayor’s comments follow an interview in which Mr. Patel discussed learning about Memphis’ pronounced crime problem.

“I didn’t know this until my confirmation process, but Memphis, Tennessee, is the homicide capital of America per capita – didn’t know that, we have a problem there,” Mr. Patel told Fox News in an interview that aired Sunday. “We’re now addressing it. We’re rolling out one of our task forces to Tennessee.”

Republican state Sen. Brent Taylor suggested the FBI’s plans could include moving a field office back into Memphis. The office was relocated to Nashville last year.

The Memphis Shelby Crime Commission reported last month that killings, assaults and car thefts, while declining, are still above 2019 levels through the first three months of the year.

Violent crime overall is down 9% when measured against the same period last year, but Memphis Police Chief C.J. Davis said the city was facing a “catastrophic” situation after 28 people were killed in 25 days during April.

“Some of it is gun violence, some of it is gang violence, some of it is domestic violence, but all of it is nonsense,” Chief Davis said.

Bluff City was listed as the nation’s most crime-ridden locale in U.S. News and World Report’s annual rankings of the “Top 25 Most Dangerous Places in the U.S.” in 2024-25.

The ranking is based on FBI data for the city’s murder and property crime rate per 100,000 people.

While many cities began moving past their pandemic-era crime spikes in 2023, Memphis saw a record 397 killings that year. The city’s violent streak has gradually cooled since then, and Memphis has seen 90 homicides through Monday.

• Matt Delaney can be reached at mdelaney@washingtontimes.com.