Murders, other crime down in Tennessee, per new report

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…

Story continues

TRENDING NOW

LATEST LOCAL NEWS