NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Preliminary reports show there have been more homicides reported in Nashville and Davidson County nearly halfway into 2023 than were reported by the same time last year.

While homicides are up about 8.7% as of May 27, overall violent crime reported in the Metro area has slightly dropped when compared to the same time period last year. That’s according to unofficial reports in the Metro Nashville Police Department’s weekly crime initiative book.

The report prepared by the Metro Nashville Police Department Crime Analysis Section provides data on 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. Violent crimes are defined in the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program as those offenses which involve force or threat of force.

According to unofficial reports, overall violent crime in Nashville and Davidson County has dropped about 0.9% compared to the same time last year, with a total of about 3,481 violent crimes reported by May 27, 2023.

The largest drop in violent crime has been in the MNPD’s Hermitage precinct, where preliminary reports reflect a 20.1% decrease. However, overall violent crime in the police department’s Madison precinct has gone up about 18.5%.

Homicide

Unofficial reports show there have been about 50 homicides reported in Nashville and Davidson County as of May 27, 2023 — an 8.7% increase from the 46 reported by the same time last year.

The area with the largest rise in homicides has been the police department’s Midtown Hills precinct. Preliminary data reflects a 400% increase in the Midtown Hills area, with around 10 homicides reported this year and only two reported by the same time last year.

All eight police precincts included in the report have reported at least two homicides this year. However, the Madison precinct has seen the largest decrease, with seven homicides reported last year and only four reported so far this year.

Compared to 2022, there were several more homicides reported in January this year. The majority of victims have been in the 18 to 34 age range. However, one has been 65 years or older and three have been 12 years or younger.

Rape

Overall, unofficial reports show that rape has increased about 7.2% in Nashville and Davidson County compared to the same time last year, with 207 reports made in 2022 and 222 reports made by May 27, 2023.

The majority of rapes have been reported in the police department’s South precinct, where preliminary reports show there has been a 34.9% increase, with a total of 58 rapes reported nearly halfway into the year.

Aggravated assault

There have been 2,702 incidences of aggravated assault reported in Nashville and Davidson County so far this year — an about 1% increase from the 2,675 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 13% so far this year, according to preliminary reports. Overall, there have been 507 reports made, which is 76 less than the same period last year.

Nearly every police precinct has seen a decrease in robberies, with exception to the Midtown Hills precinct where unofficial reports show there has been a 14.9% increase. Commercial robbery in Nashville and Davidson County has also significantly decreased at about 25.3%.

Property crime

Property crime includes the offenses of burglary, larceny, auto theft and arson. According to the UCR Program, the object of the 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 that property crime in Nashville and Davidson County has increased by about 1.1%. In total, 10,992 incidents have been reported compared to the 10,869 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 14.5% since the same time last year. The Central precinct has seen the largest decrease in property crime at about 16%.

Burglary

Burglary is the offense that has had 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 31.2%.

Burglary involves the unlawful entry of a home or business. In Nashville and Davidson County, the largest decline has been in commercial burglary specifically. According to unofficial reports, 619 commercial burglaries were reported by May 27, 2022 compared to just 374 so far this year.

Residential burglary has also dropped 25.2%. The Midtown Hills precinct has been the most impacted by the decline in burglaries, with 280 incidents reported by this time last year and only 123 reports made by May 27, 2023. That represents an about 56.1% decrease.

Larceny

While burglary in Nashville and Davidson County has sharply declined, preliminary reports reflect an about 4.8% 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 22.2% increase and a total of 1,550 incidents reported so far this year. While incidences of larceny have decreased 14.6% 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, 1,488 auto thefts have been reported so far this year, representing an about 15.1% increase from the 1,293 auto thefts reported by the same time last year.

The Midtown Hills precinct has been hit the hardest, with an about 33.3% increase in auto thefts and 204 incidents reported. While auto thefts have decreased about 18.3% in the police department’s West precinct where only 107 reports have been made.