Murders, other crime down in Tennessee, per new report
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Crime ticked down last year across several categories in Tennessee, according to a statewide report out this month that tracked data from hundreds of law enforcement agencies.
The big picture: The number of offenses reported last year dropped more than 6%, to about 476,000, according to the latest annual overview from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
- That decline corresponded with a 9% dip in the number of Tennesseans who reported being the victim of a crime.
Between the lines: Crime is a pervasive concern across the country. Two-thirds of Americans think crime is a major problem nationwide, and about 81% call it a problem in large cities, per a new poll out this week from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research..
- President Trump has seized on the issue, sending thousands of National Guard members and federal agents to Washington D.C.
- Trump has floated using a similar approach in other cities, including Memphis.
Yes, but: Data shows crime decreasing in Tennessee (and in several big cities nationwide).
- Gov. Bill Lee said this week he wasn't considering sending National Guard troops into Tennessee cities, per the Tennessee Lookout.
- Lee said he talked with federal authorities about positive trends in Memphis, where he said crime was down 15% over the last year.
Zoom out: Tennessee saw a downward trend across several categories of crime last year, including murder, rape and gun thefts from cars.
By the numbers: Murders decreased by a particularly significant margin of more than 19% year over year, per the TBI report. (Law enforcement reported 583 murders statewide in 2024.)
- Other areas that saw larger drops included the number of car theft victims, which fell 24%.
- Identity theft victims dipped by 10%, and the number of burglary victims tumbled 13%.
The other side: Some categories ticked up year over year, including DUIs and the number of juvenile victims.
What we're watching: Early data from 2025 shows the downward trend continuing in Nashville.
- Nashville's murder cases were down 17% in the first half of the year, compared to the first half of 2024.
- The number of rapes, robberies and aggravated assaults also declined according to the same dataset, compiled by the Major Cities Chiefs Association (MCCA).