WASHINGTON, D.C. — Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner on Monday unveiled a nationwide hotline for residents to report criminal activity inside HUD-funded housing, a move the department says will help root out gangs, drug networks, violent offenders, human traffickers and other threats targeting vulnerable Americans in their homes.
The hotline — part of a sweeping cross-agency enforcement effort — will prioritize reports from Memphis and Washington, D.C., where federal task forces have launched aggressive operations to curb violent crime. HUD officials said the system will serve as a direct pipeline between residents and law enforcement, enabling faster identification of suspects living or operating in federally supported housing.
“No American who calls HUD housing home should feel that crime is an inevitable part of their living conditions,” Turner said, praising residents as the “eyes and ears” of their communities. He thanked federal, state and local partners involved in the Memphis Safe Task Force and the D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force, saying both efforts are central to President Donald J. Trump’s directives on public-safety coordination.
Attorney General Pam Bondi called the hotline the latest milestone in the administration’s “Make Memphis Safe Again” initiative, saying federal intervention has saved lives and reunited families. U.S. Marshals Service Director Gadyaces S. Serralta said residents now have a crucial role: “They can help make their city safer by calling in tips and helping us get the people making Memphis unsafe off the streets.”
Republican Tennessee Sens. Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty also praised the move, saying the hotline empowers residents while supporting ongoing federal crackdowns in Shelby County. “Together, we will make Memphis the safest city in America,” Hagerty said.
The hotline expands the scope of federal task forces launched earlier this year. Since August, the D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force has arrested 6,677 violent fugitives, including 16 homicide suspects, more than 1,000 narcotics offenders, 502 weapons-related offenders, 29 sex offenders and 44 gang members, while seizing 634 illegally possessed firearms.
Since October, the Memphis Safe Task Force has arrested 3,151 violent fugitives, including 12 homicide suspects and more than 900 narcotics and weapons offenders, while seizing 501 firearms.
HUD said the hotline also supports its broader push to ensure taxpayer-funded housing benefits American citizens. This year, Turner signed the American Housing Programs for American Citizens agreement with the Department of Homeland Security, strengthened FHA residency requirements and ordered citizenship verification for all residents in HUD-funded housing.
The hotline accepts tips by phone at 1-800-347-3735 and online at HUDOIG.gov/hotline. Federal officials said all reports will be reviewed and routed to appropriate investigative agencies as part of a coordinated national effort to restore safety in communities across the country.
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