The Public Safety Institute at the University of Memphis and the Memphis Shelby Crime Commission have used preliminary data from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to release 2022 crime figures.
Officials said while still higher than previous years, the number of reported major violent crimes has gone down. These crimes saw a 5.1 percent decrease compared to 2021 in Memphis, and 5.0 percent countywide. Reported major violent crimes include murders, rapes, robberies, and aggravated assault.
According to Bill Gibbons, executive director of the PSI and president of the Crime Commission, this decline is the result of reduced reports of aggravated assaults, both in Memphis and countywide.
“Aggravated assaults make up some 80 percent of reported major violent crime. The number of reported aggravated assaults drives the violent crime number,” said Gibbons.
While violent crime numbers have decreased, there has been an increase in major property crimes, specifically vehicle thefts. Reported burglaries, vehicle thefts and other felony thefts are considered major property crimes.
Memphis saw a 29.3 percent increase in major property crime compared to 2021 numbers, while vehicle thefts “skyrocketed” with a 113.1 percent increase in Memphis and 107.9 percent increase countywide. There was also a 12.3 percent increase in reported burglaries in Memphis and a 9.6 percent increase countywide.
Officials also reported that the number of guns stolen from vehicles also saw a drastic increase. According to reports from the Memphis Police Department, 2,441 guns were reported stolen in 2022. This is a 19 percent increase compared to 2021 (2,042), and a 750 percent increase compared to 2011 (287).