NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — While police are continuing to see a decline in reports of robbery and burglary, preliminary data shows overall violent crime in Nashville and Davidson County is still pacing slightly above last year’s numbers.

As of July 29, 2023, 66 homicides have been reported in Nashville and Davidson County, according to unofficial reports in the Metro Nashville Police Department’s weekly crime initiative book. That reflects only a slight drop from the 67 homicides reported by the same time last year.

Overall violent crime is slightly up from last year at just about 0.1%. In total, there have been 5,170 homicides, rapes, aggravated assaults and robberies reported between Jan. 1, 2023 and July 29, 2023. By Dec. 2022, reports showed violent crime was up about 4.7% compared to 2021.

The weekly report prepared by the Metro Nashville Police Department Crime Analysis Section provides data on all part one offenses, including homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny, motor vehicle theft and arson.

According to the MNPD, “these serious crimes” are the focus of police activity. Arson offenses in Davidson County are not included in public MNPD Uniform Crime Reports (UCR) because those offenses are investigated by the Nashville Fire Department.

Although the data is reviewed by the MNPD for accuracy and completeness, it does not reflect official counts. Below is a breakdown of the crimes that have been reported in Nashville and Davidson County so far this year.

Violent crime

Violent crime is composed of four offenses: homicide, rape, aggravated assault, and robbery. According to the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program, violent crimes are those offenses which involve force or threat of force.

While overall violent crime in Nashville and Davidson County has only increased 0.1% compared to last year, preliminary reports show violent offenses have risen more sharply within the past month, with 719 more violent crimes reported between July 1 and July 29 this year.

The police department’s Madison precinct has continued to see the largest increase in violent offenses, with a 15.6% jump from last year and 584 total crimes reported by July 29, 2023.

Homicide

Unofficial reports show there have been 66 homicides reported in Nashville and Davidson County as of July 29, 2023 — 10 more than were reported at the beginning of the month. However, the homicide rate has remained very similar to last year’s statistics.

The homicide rate was identical to last year’s numbers at the start of the month and remained only 1.5% lower by July 29, 2023. While homicides have decreased in the South, Central, Hermitage and Madison precincts, reports have either increased or leveled out in all others.

The Midtown Hills precinct has seen the largest rise in homicides, with a 550% increase compared to the same period last year. According to preliminary reports, 13 homicides were reported in the precinct by July 29, 2023, and only two were reported by July 29, 2022.

Officers in all eight police precincts included in the report have responded to at least three homicides this year, with five of those precincts reporting between nine and 11 homicides. Compared to 2022, there were several more homicides reported in January this year.

The majority of reported victims have been in the 18 to 34 age range. However, as of July 29, 2023, two victims have been 65 years or older and five have been 12 years or younger, according to preliminary reports.

Rape

Overall, unofficial reports show rape has decreased about 1% in Nashville and Davidson County compared to the same time last year, with 310 reports made in 2022 and 307 reports made by July 29, 2023.

Reports of rape have continued to decrease since May, when rape was up about 7.2%. The majority have been reported in the MNPD’s South precinct, where preliminary reports show there has been a 25.4% increase, with 79 rapes reported more than halfway into the year.

Aggravated assault

There have been 4,024 incidences of aggravated assault reported in Nashville and Davidson County so far this year — an about 1.7% increase from the 3,956 aggravated assaults reported by the same time last year, according to unofficial reports.

The FBI’s UCR Program defines aggravated assault as an unlawful attack by one person upon another for the purpose of inflicting severe or aggravated bodily injury. The majority of aggravated assaults have also been reported in the MNPD’s South precinct.

Robbery

The total number of robberies reported in Nashville and Davidson County has dropped about 7.2% so far this year, according to preliminary reports. Overall, there have been 773 reports made, which is 60 less than the same period last year.

Nearly every police precinct has seen a decrease in robberies, with the exception of the Midtown Hills precinct where unofficial reports show there has been a 2.1% increase and the South precinct where reports show a 15.5% increase.

Property crime

Property crime includes the offenses of burglary, larceny, auto theft and arson. According to the UCR Program, the object of theft-type offenses is the taking of money or property, but there is no force or threat of force against the victims.

So far this year, unofficial reports show property crime in Nashville and Davidson County has increased by about 7.1%. In total, 16,852 incidents have been reported compared to the 15,728 incidents reported by the same time last year.

The majority of property offenses have been reported in the police department’s South precinct, where property crime has risen by about 29.6% since the same time last year. The Central precinct has seen the largest decrease in property crime at about 10.8%.

Burglary

Burglary remains the offense with the largest decline in Nashville and Davidson County, with every single police precinct reporting a decrease compared to the same time last year. Overall, preliminary reports show incidences of burglary have dropped nearly 28.8%.

Burglary involves the unlawful entry of a home or business. In the Metro area, the largest decline has been in commercial burglary. According to unofficial reports, 859 commercial burglaries were reported by July 29, 2022 compared to just 581 so far this year.

Residential burglary has also dropped 24.3%. The Midtown Hills precinct has seen the sharpest decline in burglaries, with 375 incidents reported by this time last year and only 174 reports made by July 29, 2023. That represents a 53.6% decrease.

Larceny

While burglary reports in Nashville and Davidson County have sharply declined, preliminary reports reflect an about 8.4% increase in larceny. Examples of larceny are thefts of bicycles, motor vehicle parts and accessories, shoplifting or pocket-picking.

The police department’s South precinct has seen the most considerable rise in larceny, with an about 28.2% increase and a total of 2,306 incidents reported so far this year. However, incidences of larceny have decreased 8.6% in the Central precinct.

Auto theft

Auto theft has been one of the fastest-rising crimes in Nashville and Davidson County, according to unofficial reports. In total, 2,651 auto thefts have been reported so far this year, representing an about 40.1% increase from the 1,892 auto thefts reported by the same time last year.

The South precinct has been hit the hardest, with an about 79.2% increase in auto thefts and 758 incidents reported compared to 423 last year. Auto thefts have decreased 9.6% in the police department’s Central precinct where only 94 reports have been made.