East Nashville Crime Rates Drop
In the Metro Nashville area, mayor crime is down for the fourth year in a row, according to the Metro Police Department’s Annual Crime Report and at it’s lowest in 17 years.
The report shows major crime was down 2.1% in 2007 compared to 2006, with homicides down 9.9%, and at its lowest level since 2004.
The number of reported violent crimes was about the same, nearly 9,000.
East Nashville saw the biggest decrease in crime, more than 8%, of any Metro area in 2007,
Christy Perkins first moved to east Nashville in 1997 when the crime rate was high, and “it was a whole other ballgame.”
Now, she feels safe walking the streets at any hour.
Perkins started a Web site, IAmEastNashville.com , as a sign of solidarity, and commerce, to a neighborhood that’s leading the city in battling crime.
Perkins points to neighborhood associations which have transformed neighborhoods for the decreased crime rates.
“Years of community effort, volunteerism, activism… That’s really paying off,” she told News 2. “I think with every year, we’re getting better and better.”
This is the second time in three years east Nashville has led the city in a decrease in crime.
Two years ago, signs popped up all over the area as a tribute to the hard work of police.
The South precinct had a 3.41% decline and the Central precinct had a 0.7 % decline. The North precinct had a crime increase of 3.3%.
Copyright 2008 by WKRN Nashville Tennessee.
