NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation released its annual report about crime on campuses of Tennessee colleges and universities.
In the report, they said that crime increased by around 26% compared to last year, but was less than the four-year high set in 2019. They said colleges and universities reported 4,729 offenses in 2022. In 2019, they reported 5,721 offenses. Larceny and theft account for around 27% of all those offenses. The most common type of larceny was "theft from a building."
The TBI said there was also a significant uptick in larceny compared to other crimes reported. Around 1,287 thefts were reported in 2022, compared to 1,068 thefts the year before.
However, reports of assault saw an even higher uptick — going up by around 30%. More drug offenses were also reported, rising by around 16%.
Sex offenses saw a significant decrease too, dropping to 42 reported incidents in 2022 compared to 97 incidents the year before.
The report examined demographics of "Group A" crimes, which are crimes committed by the same offender, or group of offenders acting together, at the same time and place. They said 1,95 women were victims Group A crimes, compared to 1,157 men.
However, 1,475 offenders were reported to be men, compared to 551 women.
The report also examined the relationship between victims and offenders of violent crimes like assault, fondling, robbery, kidnapping and rape. Most commonly, they were acquaintances, with 270 offenses reported. They reported being strangers in only 83 offenses.
Most Group A crimes were committed on a school's campus, according to the report. They said the second-most common place where they occurred was in a parking lot or garage. They also most commonly happened in September and October.
Two murders were reported by universities and colleges, and ten robberies. Both murders involved guns, and they were the most common kind of weapon in cases of aggravated assault.
More DUI cases were also reported in 2022 compared to any other year in the four-year period, with 78 cases reported.
Drug offenses were the most common kind of crime reported at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, followed by cases of theft and larceny.