KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Knoxville Police Department released its unofficial preliminary high-priority crime data for 2022, saying it appears the city saw fewer murders last year compared to 2021 even as the number of violent crimes listed in the report rose overall.
KPD said the unofficial data is still awaiting a standard audit by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. According to the report, violent high-priority crimes against persons in Knoxville increased by 6% from 2021, with a total of 4,456 violent crimes reported in 2022. However, the number of murder and manslaughter victims fell by 15% from 41 in 2021 to 35 in 2022.
KPD said the 2022 total includes one case that has not officially been ruled a murder but is "likely" to be once it receives the medical examiner's report.
The number of non-fatal shooting victims remained the same last year. 78 victims were reported in both 2021 and 2022.
Aggravated and simple assaults, which made up the vast majority of violent crimes, rose in 2022. Aggravated assaults were up 8% to 972 in 2022 based on the preliminary data, and simple assaults were up by 2% to 2,518.
“We are still not where we want to be, but I am pleased to see the murder total trending in the right direction,” Chief Paul Noel said. “The reduction of violent crime is our top priority, and there is cause for optimism heading into 2023. We will continue to devote our resources towards violent crime mitigation and invest in violent reduction partnerships and strategies.”
Property crimes across the city were down by 3% from 10,748 in 2021 to 10,450 in 2022. One crime that saw a sharp decrease in the past year was motor vehicle theft. The city reported those crimes declined by 21% from 1,224 in 2021 to 963 in 2022.
“Fighting crime is job number one, and I am proud of our officers, investigators and leadership team for their hard work to close out the year,” Noel said. “There is still a lot of work that needs to be done, but I feel confident that we are moving in the right direction and well-positioned to make Knoxville safer.”