MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Memphis Police Department officials told city council members Tuesday that crime over the first six months of 2024 is down 17.5 percent.
MPD's Chief of Information Technology Joe Oakley presented crime data numbers Tuesday showing that across all city precincts, crime is down.
"All of our precincts are in the green," Oakley said.
Violent crime is down 7.94 percent from Jan. 1, 2024 to June 30, 2024, and all crime is down 17.5 percent.
Homicides are down by 20 during the time frame, robberies are down by nearly 400, aggravated assaults are down by 22 and forcible rapes are down by 13.
One of the biggest drops is in auto thefts. Oakley said there have been 5,576 auto thefts in the first six months of the year, but in 2023, there had been 8,166 auto thefts during that same time period. Thefts from motor vehicles dropped by 1,100. However thefts from semi-trailers saw an increase of 14.
Retail crimes have also seen drops, according to the presentation. Burglaries of businesses are down by 441, felony shoplifting is down by eight and misdemeanor shoplifting is down by 67.
So far, MPD officials have made 529 arrests for auto theft in the first six months of the year.
Council member Jerri Green asked if more context could be provided for the data, including adding years of data to compare to outside of the highs seen during a record-setting 2023.
