Nashville TN April 24 2013
Overall crime in Tennessee continued to decline steadily in 2012, even as reported murders and aggravated assaults ticked up across the state.
The annual “Crime in Tennessee” report was released Monday, showing overall crimes dropping 2.8 percent since 2011.
“It doesn’t seem like very much, but when you’re seeing small percent (drops) year after year after year, that really adds up,” said TBI spokeswoman Kristin Helm.
Crimes against property, which include burglaries and car theft, made up for more than 57 percent of reported crimes.
In 2011, 342,608 crimes against property were reported statewide. That number fell by almost 20,000 in 2012.
Not every shift was positive.
The reported number of murders rose from 384 cases in 2011 to 390 in 2012, according to Tennessee crime statistics. This is the second year in a row Tennessee has seen an increase in its number of homicides.
Aggravated assaults also spiked from 28,624 reported in 2011 to 30,818 in 2012.
Helm said that some fluctuation from year to year is normal. She added that the statistics can be useful across the state.
“When you can look at a specific area of crime ... it helps law enforcement determine where to dedicate resources,” she said.
Metro Police spokesman Don Aaron agreed.
“These numbers are something we’re cognizant of every week,” he said. “The commanders and leadership of the police department from across all areas come together every Friday morning to address trends, hot spots and make a positive difference at the neighborhood level.”
In Nashville, residential burglaries and car thefts dropped steadily, even as the city’s murder count rose from the near-record low of 51 in 2011 to 62 last year.
To continue to combat crime, Aaron said, police need strong ties in the community.
“The police department can’t be the catchall end–all. We have got to have assistance from the major stakeholders in the community,” he said. “I’m very glad to say that we do.”