Serious Crime Ticks Up In Tennessee In 2016: TBI

NASHVILLE, TN — There was a slight increase in serious crimes generally in Tennessee in 2016, with a nearly 12 percent increase in murders statewide, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation's annual Crime In Tennessee report, released Thursday.

Reports of Group A offenses — generally speaking, violent crimes, sex crimes, thefts, drug crimes and gambling — were up 1.1 percent statewide. Arrests in that category were down 1.9 percent.

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Murders in Tennessee increased 11.6 percent from 2015 to 2016. Other increases among serious crimes were seen in weapons violations (up 14 percent) and drug violations (up 9.5 percent). In the latter, a significant increase can be attributed to the number of meth violations, which leaped from 4,407 in 2014 to 10,489 in 2016, an increase of 238 percent in two years.

Rape reports were down 2.8 percent, with decreases also seen in kidnappings (down 6.3 percent) and assaults and property crimes generally. And even though crime reports have increased, victims of crimes have generally decreased.

See the full report here.

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