MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Memphis saw record-breaking violent crime numbers in 2023, but crime rates went down towards the end of the year.
Some Memphians, like Carer Tate, refuse to leave the house at night due to crime.
"When it starts getting dusk, Mr. Tate is at home. I don't be out for any reason," said Tate.
During her reappointment presentation on Jan. 9, 2023, now-interim Chief CJ Davis listed accomplishments under her leadership, including cutting crime in half.
"We have actually cut our overall crime in half over the past 6 months," said Davis.
ABC24 reached out to the Memphis Police Department (MPD) for clarity on these numbers. In a statement, MPD Public Information Officer Theresa Carlson said the interim chief's data came from the Real Time Crime Center Crime Analysis Team data on part one crimes.
These crimes include aggravated assault, auto theft, burglary, homicide, shoplifting, theft from a building, theft from a motor vehicle, theft of vehicle parts, theft of trailers, other thefts, rape, robbery and carjacking.
"Crime city-wide was up on July 9, 2023, by 30.6% year to date. When the same part one crime data was pulled on Jan. 9, 2024, crime showed a reduction of 19.1% year to date. Over this six-month period, crime was trending down city-wide by 50%," said Carlson.
But the Memphis Data Hub paints a slightly different picture.
According to the Memphis Data Hub, there were 54,128 crimes reported between July 9, 2023, and Jan. 9, 2024. This is about a 9% decrease from the 58,124 crimes reported from Jan. 9 to July 9, 2023.
Despite the discrepancies, both sources showed a drop in crimes overall. But some Memphians, like Elizabeth Bardos, said they haven't really noticed a difference.
"You know, I don't feel it. I'd like to feel it. You always have to watch your surroundings," said Bardos.
The Memphis Data Hub is maintained by the city, not MPD.