local violent crime drops during first quarter 2018 · 2020. 7. 31. · 2,000.0 2006 2011 2016 2017...

MEMPHIS SHELBY CRIME COMMISSION &

THE UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 17, 2018

FOR MORE INFORMATION Contact: Linda Russell 901.385.4230 [email protected]

LOCAL VIOLENT CRIME DROPS DURING FIRST QUARTER 2018

MEMPHIS,TN - During the first quarter of 2018 (January - March), the major violent crime

rate dropped in both Memphis and all of Shelby County compared to the first quarter of last

year, according to preliminary figures from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI)

released today by the University of Memphis Public Safety Institute and the Memphis Shelby

Crime Commission.

The major violent crime rate actually dropped more in the city of Memphis than in Shelby

County as a whole. Memphis had a 5.1 percent drop, with all of Shelby County having a 4.9

percent reduction.

The major violent crime rate is composed of four categories - murders, rapes, robberies and

aggravated assaults. The murder rate plummeted 37.8 percent in Memphis and 35.6 percent

countywide compared to the first quarter of last year. And the rate of reported robberies

dropped 10.6 percent in Memphis and 8.3 percent countywide.

In another indication of a reduction in violence, the rate of reported domestic violence

incidents went down 13.8 percent in Memphis and 12.6 percent throughout Shelby County.

The rate of major property crimes (burglaries, auto thefts and other felony thefts) increased

2.8 percent in Memphis and 4.5 percent countywide during the first quarter of 2018

compared to the first quarter of 2017. The increase was driven by a continuing problem with

auto thefts (with a 31.1 percent increase in Memphis and a 30.8 percent increase

countywide). On the other hand, the burglary rate was down significantly -10.3 percent in

Memphis and -7.9 percent countywide.

The overall crime rate measures 54 different categories of crime tracked by the TBI. During

the first quarter of this year, compared to last year, the overall crime rate was down 5.4

percent in Memphis and 4.4 percent throughout the county.

2 | U o f M P u b l i c S a f e t y I n s t i t u t e

"Certainly lives are always more important than property, so I am extremely happy to see in this report a reduction in violent crimes, both in the city and in the county," said Shelby County District Attorney General Amy Weirich. "As for the property crime increase driven by auto theft, I encourage everyone to follow one simple rule: Do not leave your keys in the ignition. Law enforcement officers say that is the case in nearly half of all auto theft cases. Lock it and pocket the key."

Weirich chairs the Operation: Safe Community crime plan initiative, the implementation of

which is coordinated by the Crime Commission.

“While it’s too early to predict a trend, a lot of the steps in the Operation: Safe Community

plan that are designed to impact the violent crime rate are now being implemented. With a

focused and sustained effort, we can impact the crime rate significantly,” said Bill Gibbons,

president of the Crime Commission and executive director of the Public Safety Institute.

###

About the Crime Statistics: In measuring overall crime rates and trends, the Memphis

Shelby Crime Commission and the Public Safety Institute use data reported by local

enforcement agencies to the Tennessee Incident Based Reporting System (TIBRS), which was

developed and is maintained by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. An incident is

defined in TIBRS as “one or more offenses committed by the same offender, or group of

offenders acting in concert, at the same time and place.” Reported major violent crime and

domestic violence offenses, however, uniquely refer to a victim count versus an incident

count. All rates are calculated based on per 100,000 population.

About the Memphis Shelby Crime Commission (www.memphiscrime.org): Memphis Shelby

Crime Commission is an independent, non-profit 501(c) (3) organization that “quarterbacks”

the work of the Operation: Safe Community (OSC) plan and its partners. It is funded through

the generous contributions of many private sector donors. Ben Adams, CEO of Baker

Donelson law firm, serves as chair of the board, and Bill Gibbons serves as president of the

Commission.

About Operation: Safe Community (www.operationsafecommunity.org): Launched in

2007, Operation: Safe Community (OSC), spearheaded by the Memphis Shelby Crime

Commission, is a community-based crime reduction initiative. Operation: Safe

Community is chaired by Shelby County District Attorney General Amy Weirich.

About the Public Safety Institute (www.memphis.edu/psi/): The Public Safety

Institute of the University of Memphis is an interdisciplinary part of the University

community committed to identifying and advancing best practices in the field of public

safety. It is housed in the School of Urban Affairs and Public Policy. Bill Gibbons serves

as executive director.

http://www.memphiscrime.org/

http://www.operationsafecommunity.org/

http://(www.memphis.edu/psi/


462.2 (3,076)

362.4 (2,375)

431.9 (2,819440.3 (2,874)

417.9 (2,728) ) 2

355.7…

273.8 (2,555)

327.7 (3,063)335.7 (3,137)

319.1 (2,985) 3

200.0

250.0

300.0

350.0

400.0

450.0

500.0

2006 2011 2016 2017 2018

MAJOR VIOLENT CRIMEJANUARY - MARCH

(Incidents Per 100,000 Population and Numbers)1

City of Memphis All of Shelby County

1 Includes murders, forcible rapes, robberies, and aggravated assaults.

Source: Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI). The 2018 TBI figures are preliminary. 2 The 2018 figure is a decrease of 9.6 percent from 2006 and a decrease of 5.1 percent from 2017 in the City of Memphis.

3 The 2018 figure is a decrease of 10.3 percent from 2006 and a decrease of 4.9 percent from 2017 in all of Shelby County.


4.8 (32)

3.8 (25)

7.7 (50)

6.9 (45)

4.3 (28)2

3.5 (32)

2.8 (26)

5.3 (50)

4.8 (45)

3.1 (29)3

2.0

3.0

4.0

5.0

6.0

7.0

8.0

2 0 0 6 2 0 1 1 2 0 1 6 2 0 1 7 2 0 1 8

REPORTED MURDERSJANUARY - MARCH

(RATE PER 100,000 POPULATION AND NUMBERS)1


1 Source: Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI). The 2018 TBI figures are preliminary.

2 The 2018 figure is a decrease of 10.8 percent from 2006 and a decrease of 37.8 percent from 2017 in the City of Memphis.


Source: Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI). The 2017 TBI figures are preliminary.


184.7 (1,229)

101.8 (667)

117.7 (768)112.9 (737)

101.0 (659) 2

137.8 (1,268)

74.3 (693)

86.3 (807) 82.1 (767)

75.2 (703)3

50.0

75.0

100.0

125.0

150.0

175.0

200.0

2 0 0 6 2 0 1 1 2 0 1 6 2 0 1 7 2 0 1 8

REPORTED ROBBERIESJANUARY - MARCH

(RATE PER 100,000 POPULATION AND NUMBERS) 1



2 The 2018 figure is a decrease of 45.3 percent from 2006 and a decrease of 10.6 percent from 2016 in the City of Memphis.



256.0 (1,704)

234.2 (1,535)

288.0 (1,880)296.0 (1,932) 299.5 (1,955) 2

201.4 (1,853)

179.4 (1,674)

221.3 (2,068)229.2 (2,142) 230.2 (2,151) 3

150.0

200.0

250.0

300.0

350.0

2 0 0 6 2 0 1 1 2 0 1 6 2 0 1 7 2 0 1 8

REPORTED AGGRAVATED ASSAULTSJANUARY - MARCH

(RATE PER 100,000 POPULATION AND NUMBERS) 1



2 The 2018 figure is an increase of 17.0 percent from 2006 and an increase of 1.2 percent from 2017 in the City of Memphis.

3 The 2018 figure is an increase of 14.3 percent from 2006 and an increase of .04 percent from 2017 in all of Shelby County.

Source: Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI). The 2017 TBI figures are preliminary.


1,913.6 (12,735)

1,302.2 (8,565)

1,183.2 (7,723)

1,394.8 (9,104)1,433.9 (9,359)2

1,578.3 (14,522)

1,062.9 (9,917)

952.1 (8,898)

1,117.1 (10,440)

1,166.8(10,940)3

800.0

1,000.0

1,200.0

1,400.0

1,600.0

1,800.0

2,000.0

2006 2011 2016 2017 2018

MAJOR PROPERTY CRIMEJANUARY - MARCH



1 Includes burglaries, motor vehicle thefts, and other felony thefts.

Source: Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI). The 2018 TBI figures are preliminary. 2 The 2018 figure is a 26.5 percent decrease from 2006 and a 2.8 percent increase from 2017 in the city of Memphis.

3 The 2018 figure is a 26.1 percent decrease from 2006 and a 4.5 percent increase from 2017 in all of Shelby County.


4,526.1 (30,122)

3,838.9 (25,162)

3,437.3 (22,436)

3,800.6 (24,807)

3,593.9(23,458)2

3,789.1 (34,864)

3,076.3 (28,702)

2,829.9 (26,448)

3,097.1 (28,946)

2,968.0(27,683)3

2,500.0

3,000.0

3,500.0

4,000.0

4,500.0

5,000.0

2006 2011 2016 2017 2018

OVERALL CRIME JANUARY - MARCH



1 The overall crime rate is measured by 54 separate categories of “Group A crimes” tracked by the T.B.I.

Source: Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI). The 2018 TBI figures are preliminary. 2 The 2018 figure is a 20.6 percent decrease from 2006 and a 5.4 percent decrease from 2017 in the city of Memphis.

3 The 2018 figure is a 21.8 percent decrease from 2006 and a 4.4 percent decrease from 2017 for all of Shelby County.

local violent crime drops during first quarter 2018 · 2020. 7. 31. · 2,000.0 2006 2011 2016 2017...

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