The State of Tennessee saw an increase in the number of hate crimes committed in the state and a decrease in the number of law enforcement officers killed or assaulted for the calendar year 2011, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s statistical analysis of Tennessee crime statistics and the compiling of two separate, annual reports. Today, the TBI released both “Tennessee Hate Crime 2011” and “Tennessee Law Enforcement Officers Killed or Assaulted (LEOKA) 2011” based on required monthly reporting of local law enforcement agencies crime statistics across the state.
Bias motivated offenses were up nearly 51% to 261 offenses reported in 2011 compared with 173 in 2010. Prior to 2011, a three year analysis of hate bias offenses showed a decline every year between 2008 and 2010. There were 1,810 LEOKA incidents reported in 2011 compared with 1,854 in 2010, a 2.4% decrease.
Hate Crime 2011 Highlights
- Reported victim to offender relationships revealed that approximately 58% of hate crime victims knew their offenders.
- About one in every three reported hate crimes were racially motivated at 36.5%.
- In 2011, males were victimized 5.5 times more often than females and intimidation was the most often reported crime against persons with 60 offenses.
LEOKA 2011 Highlights
- Of the 245 Tennessee agencies who reported LEOKA incidents for 2011, three reported officers who were feloniously killed in the line of duty. The Chattanooga Police Department, Dickson County Sheriff’s Office and Memphis Police Department all lost an officer in 2011.
- A total of 1,637 LEOKA incidents were cleared resulting in a 90% clearance rate and 88% of those incidents were cleared by arrest.
- The most frequently reported weapon type used was personal weapons (hand, fists, feet) at 63%.
- Firearms were reported more than 10% of the time which is a 0.7% increase from 2010.
Full copies of these reports can be downloaded from the TBI website at www.tbi.tn.gov. From the TBI homepage, scroll over the Crime Statistics button for a fly-out link to the Statistical Analysis Center webpage. Scroll down the page to find the separate 2011 Hate Crime and LEOKA reports. Additional information can be acquired at www.tncrimeonline.com.
