NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — As state leaders continue to focus on crime throughout Tennessee, Metro Nashville police released their crime analysis report early this month. According to the data violent crime is down in Metro Nashville, but car thefts are up drastically.
Auto thefts are the fastest-rising crime in the area. Locking your doors and making sure there are no valuables left in sight of criminals could prevent you from becoming a victim.
According to preliminary data auto thefts are up 50% compared to last year. Over 3,200 thefts have been reported so far this year.
That number means there's been 586 reports since July. The number may be even higher because police say preliminary data only account for crimes that have been reported in Nashville and Davidson County. Not all crimes are reported.
The South precinct has been hit the hardest with a 102% increase in auto thefts and over 970 incidents reported compared to 480 last year. The Central precinct is the only one that saw a decrease in auto thefts with an 8 percent drop compared to last year.
The good news is violent crime has gone down. Police say there's been 76 homicides this year which equals to about a 4% decrease since last year. The largest drop was in the Hermitage area where numbers show a 16% decrease.
Madison continues to see a large increase with a 15% jump.
There have been 20 homicides added to the total since late July. Police are hoping to continue to see the downward trend of violent crime but they're hoping to bring down the huge increase in car crimes as well.
