Chicago detective points to Memphis success as National Guard helps drop murders

A retired Chicago detective is urging city officials to take a closer look at Memphis for answers regarding their own spiraling homicide rates. Eugene Roy told Fox News Digital that the Windy City must stop trying to manage its crisis with shrinking resources and instead embrace federal help like the National Guard. His argument rests on hard numbers from the Major Cities Chiefs Association, which show that murders in Tennessee fell by 43.7% during the first half of 2026 compared to the same stretch last year. That drop came after President Donald Trump signed an executive order in September 2025 authorizing troops to enter the city, a move that allowed National Guard members to arrive there that fall.

Contrast this progress with what is happening right now on Chicago streets. On Monday night alone, nine people were shot across the city, leaving three dead and several others hurt. One witness described the chaos vividly to FOX 32 after hearing lights flash everywhere in their neighborhood before realizing gunfire had erupted nearby. Two men suffered critical injuries during one such incident near the Near North Side while residents looked out their windows expecting rain instead of violence.

The situation is made far worse by a severe shortage of officers inside the force itself. Roy pointed out that Chicago currently has just 2,500 fewer police officers than it possessed only two or three years ago. You cannot keep doing more with less, he insisted, noting that cooperation at street-level policing levels remains virtually nonexistent between local departments and federal authorities. This manpower gap was worsened by a November 2025 decision to pause classes at the training academy and slow hiring down to roughly 50 recruits per month. The city made these cuts specifically to address a massive $1.2 billion budget shortfall facing its finances.

Roy sees Memphis as a clear success story proving what happens when local, state, and federal governments partner effectively together. He acknowledged there was some initial reluctance at the city level in Tennessee but emphasized that they eventually did the right things the right way to produce real results. The mere presence of uniformed police serves as a powerful disincentive for would-be criminals planning robberies or burglaries. When people see officers everywhere, they think twice before pulling out weapons and decide to wait until another time or place instead. Done properly, Roy called this approach a godsend for communities struggling with public safety.

Memphis recorded 67 homicides in the first six months of 2026, down significantly from 119 during the same period in 2025 according to the Major Cities Chiefs Association. If Chicago adopted similar strategies, Roy believes bringing in the National Guard could mirror those successful efforts seen elsewhere where federal and local governments work together truly. He also noted that it is not entirely unprecedented for a Democratic governor to deploy its own National Guard troops to deter crime. New York Democrat Gov. Kathy Hochul deployed at least 1,000 National Guard members to her state's subway system back in March 2024 following a series of high-profile crimes there. For individuals thinking about bringing guns or knives onto transit systems, she argued that such deployments create a necessary deterrent effect against violence.

Governor Kathy Hochul dropped a blunt reality check on travelers heading into New York State. She warned that those ignoring official guidance might find their journey ending abruptly at the airport. "They might be thinking, 'You know what, it just may just not be worth it because I listened to the mayor and I listened to the governor, and they have a lot more people who are going to be checking my bags,'" Hochul said. The threat is clear: non-compliance leads to extra scrutiny and delays.

Fox News Digital attempted to get answers from both sides of this growing dispute. Reporters reached out directly to the Chicago Police Department for their stance on the situation. They also contacted the Illinois governor's office seeking an official comment. Neither side has released a statement yet, leaving the tension unresolved as flights continue to face uncertainty.