Former Detective Suggests National Guard Solution for Chicago’s Crime Crisis

A retired Chicago detective advises looking at Memphis, where homicides decreased significantly after the National Guard was deployed, as a strategy to tackle crime in Chicago. The Major Cities Chiefs Association reported that homicides in Memphis fell by 43.7% in the first half of 2026 after the National Guard moved in, following an executive order by President Donald Trump in September 2025.

On a recent Monday night, nine individuals suffered gunshot wounds in Chicago, with three fatalities. Among the incidents, two men were critically injured in the Near North Side neighborhood.

Eugene Roy, a retired chief of detectives in Chicago, criticized the city’s leadership for not effectively using federal resources to address the crime wave amid a significant police shortage. Roy noted, “Chicago has around 2,500 fewer officers compared to two or three years ago, which makes it challenging to maintain public safety.” He pointed to a lack of cooperation at the preventative level between local and federal authorities.

The issue has been worsened by a slowdown in police training and hiring, initiated in November 2025, to manage a $1.2 billion budget deficit. The city reduced classes at the training academy and limited hiring to about 50 new recruits per month.

Conversely, Memphis serves as a “success story,” according to Roy, where local, state, and federal agencies collaborated to improve public safety. The presence of the National Guard, alongside federal law enforcement, has been central to this effort.

As an example, the presence of law enforcement in numbers can discourage criminal activities. “Simply having police visible can prevent crimes like burglary or robbery because it makes potential criminals reconsider,” Roy explained.

Between January and June 2026, Memphis recorded 67 homicides compared to 119 in the same timeframe in 2025. Roy believes Chicago could potentially replicate Memphis’s success by introducing the National Guard, promoting collaboration between federal and local entities.

This idea is not without precedent. In March 2024, New York Governor Kathy Hochul deployed 1,000 National Guard members to New York City’s subway system after a series of crimes, aiming to deter potential offenders.

Fox News Digital sought input from the Chicago Police Department and the governor’s office, but no formal comments were received.