HUD announces OIG hotline for public-housing residents as federal surge in Memphis reports arrests and recoveries

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Federal and state officials on Wednesday announced a new HUD Office of Inspector General tipline for residents of public housing and credited a federal enforcement surge with a recent drop in violent crime in Memphis.

"Protect your home. Protect your family," HUD Secretary Scott Turner said as he described the hotline, which he said allows residents of HUD-funded housing to "report criminals, illegal aliens, sex offenders, human traffickers, and those guilty of gang activity, drug distribution, and fraud." Turner directed residents to call the hotline at +1 803473735 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Central or to submit tips at hud.oig.gov/hotline, which he said is monitored "24/7 in real time."

Turner framed the hotline as part of the Memphis SAFE Task Force, a multiagency surge he said has led to thousands of arrests and other results since it began in October. "The task force has arrested more than 3,000 violent fugitives," U.S. Marshal Gatti Seralta said at the event, adding that the operation has also helped recover 121 missing children and remove hundreds of firearms from the streets.

Attorney General Pam Bondi, who opened the event, said the federal response followed an alarming crime period in Memphis and cited short-term comparisons she said showed murder down "48%" and overall serious crime down "45%" during a recent 56-day period. Bondi and other speakers credited coordination between federal, state and local law-enforcement agencies for the results and urged other governors and mayors to request similar assistance.

Turner and other officials tied the new hotline to a broader effort to make HUD-funded housing safer. "If the housing is safe, the community is safe," Turner said. He also said the effort includes identifying and removing ineligible occupants from public housing, stating that "illegal aliens have no place in public housing."

Officials described the hotline as a way for residents to report a range of concerns, from violent crime to fraud and trafficking, and said tips will be routed to law-enforcement partners including the Department of Justice and the FBI. The Memphis Housing Authority was cited as serving more than 9,700 households and receiving roughly $107,000,000 to administer federal rental-assistance programs.

During a short question-and-answer period, officials said other jurisdictions can request similar assistance. "If you want to make your city safe, call President Trump," Bondi said in response to a question about expanding the approach. On court capacity, Marshals and federal prosecutors acknowledged pressure on local jails and courts and said they are "taking every case we can federal" and working with state prosecutors to shorten processing times.

Bondi also said the administration would pursue legal options in response to high-profile developments in Washington, saying they would seek "all available legal action, including an immediate appeal" regarding cases referenced by reporters.

The event concluded with officials noting weather and time constraints; organizers said they planned to go serve dinner to law-enforcement personnel after the briefing.