In 2014, the city of Memphis ranked eleventh in violent crimes for major cities around the U.S. In 2006, Memphis led the nation in number of violent crimes. In 2001, 2005, and 2007, Memphis ranked second most dangerous in the nation among cities with a population over 500,000. It also ranked as most dangerous in 2002. There are approximately 182

gangs in Memphis, Tennessee Memphis, Tennessee serves as the Southern headquarters for Tennessee based street organizations in the Southern United States. In 2021, there were approximately 102 gangs with 13,400 gang members in the city. Gangs in the Memphis area are concentr ...

with 8,400 gang members in the county.

Violent Crime Rates in Memphis, TN

*per 100,000 people

Crime dynamics

In 2004

violent crime A violent crime, violent felony, crime of violence or crime of a violent nature is a crime in which an offender or perpetrator uses or threatens to use harmful force upon a victim. This entails both crimes in which the violent act is the objecti ...

in Memphis reached a record low for over a decade, that trend subsequently reversed. In 2005, Memphis was ranked the 4th most dangerous city with a population of 500,000 or higher in the U.S. By 2006, Memphis held the top position of number of violent crimes in America. Recent statistics show a downward trend in crime in Memphis. Between 2006 and 2008, the crime rate fell by 16%. The first half of 2009 saw a reduction in serious crime of over 10% from the previous year.

Increase

Crime in Memphis increased in 2005, and saw a dramatic rise in the first half of 2006. Nationally, cities follow similar trends, and crime numbers tend to be cyclical. Local experts and criminologists cite gang recruitment as one possible cause of the rise in crime in Memphis, and a reduction of 66% of federal funding to the

Memphis Police Department The Memphis Police Department is the law enforcement agency of the city of Memphis, Tennessee, United States. Organization The Memphis Police Department (MPD) provides police services to the people of the city of Memphis in a 304 square-mile are ...

. Between 2004 and 2008, the number of full-time officers in the Memphis Police Department fell by 23.2%. In the first half of 2006, robbery of businesses increased 52.5%, robbery of individuals increased 28.5%, and

homicide Homicide occurs when a person kills another person. A homicide requires only a volitional act or omission that causes the death of another, and thus a homicide may result from accidental, reckless, or negligent acts even if there is no inten ...

increased 18% over the same period of 2005. The Memphis Police Department has responded with the initiation of Operation Blue C.R.U.S.H. (Crime Reduction Using Statistical History), which targets crime hotspots and repeat offenders. Memphis ended 2005 with 154 murders (431 in whole TN), and 2006 ended with 160. 2007 saw 164 murders (397 in whole TN).

Decrease

Violent crimes dropped from 12,939 in 2008 to 12,047 the next year. Robbery dropped from 4,788 in 2008 to 4,137 in 2009.

Aggravated assault An assault is the act of committing physical harm or unwanted physical contact upon a person or, in some specific legal definitions, a threat or attempt to commit such an action. It is both a crime and a tort and, therefore, may result in cri ...

dropped 53,870 in 2008 to 47,158 in 2009 ( FBI's UCR). The Memphis Police Department's use of the FBI

National Incident-Based Reporting System National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) is an incident-based reporting system used by law enforcement agencies in the United States for collecting and reporting data on crimes. Local, state and federal agencies generate NIBRS data from t ...

, which is a more detailed method of reporting crimes than what is used in many other major cities, has been cited as a reason for Memphis's frequent appearance on lists of most dangerous U.S. cities. According to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations, violent crime in Memphis decreased by 6.4% in 2014. Non-violent crimes decreased by 16.3%. Both of these were a much greater decrease than Tennessee's statewide averages of 2.4% and 2.5%, respectively.

Policing

In 2019, the Memphis Police Department had 2,635 full-time sworn personnel (defined as those with general arrest powers) and 2,058 total officers. In 2013, after several gang related robberies at Tom Lee Park, the

said that "they often feel powerless to control these out-of-control teens."

References

{{Reflist Memphis, Tennessee Crime in Tennessee