MNPD data: Homicides down, rapes and auto thefts on the rise in Nashville
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — There’s a bright spot in the latest Metro Nashville Police crime analysis report. However, there were also some troubling trends in the data.
According to Tuesday’s report, homicides in Music City are down about 27% year to year, which reflects national trends in homicide rates.
Yet, while overall violent offenses were down, car thefts and rape were up.
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At his weekly media roundtable, Mayor Freddie O’Connell said, while car thefts have increased compared to last year, MNPD has seen an improvement in recent months since the launch of its car theft investigation initiative.
“Since that initiative started in February, [we are] starting to see downward pressuring on the car theft process,” O’Connell said.
From mid-March until last weekend, there were 259 fewer cars stolen in that 16-week period compared to the same time the year prior.
As for the 20% increase in rapes, Mayor O’Connell said he has asked MNPD Chief John Drake what is at the root of this problem.
“Is this something about a change in reporting is this you know, more there? Were we seeing a period where people weren’t reporting incidents, and this is up?” O’Connell asked theoretically. “[MNPD] is going to come back to us, but it’s definitely a deep concern.”
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O’Connell went on to say his administration has made investments in the Office of Family Safety to increase how they respond to victims of crime.
“I want to make sure that everybody is aware of not just police department efforts, but also of resources available on the other side of crime, to make sure that everybody is taken care of,” he said.
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