Weirich
New numbers from the Memphis Shelby Crime Commission show that the major violent crime rate continued to be slightly above those recorded during the same time last year but lower than a decade ago.
From January 2016 to October 2016, there were 1, 530.7 major violent crimes (murders, robberies, rapes, and aggravated assaults) per 100,000 people in Memphis. For Shelby County during the same time, there were 1,162.2 crimes. 
The figures are up slightly form the same time period last year (4.2 percent down in the county, 3 percent down in the city). However, both figures are down from 2006 (14.4 percent down in the county, 11.1 down in the city).
The area’s murder rate (the amount of murders per 100,000 people) was up around 25 percent in both the county and the city, according to the figures the commission gathers from the Tennessee bureau of Investigation.
“The number of murders continues to be of major concern,” said Bill Gibbons, president of the Crime Commission and executive director of the University of Memphis Public Safety Institute. “And, far too often, robberies and aggravated assaults can escalate into murders.” 
Gibbons
Law enforcement leaders unveiled the brand new version of the OperationL Safe Community plan last week. The plan outlines new initiatives to reduce violent crime by 30 percent, property crime by 30 percent, and the overall crime rate here by 25 percent, all in the next five years.
“Our big challenge is to develop and maintain a downward trend in our major violent crime rate,” said Shelby County District Attorney General Amy Weirich. “That is a primary focus of our new Operation: Safe Community crime plan.”
