Memphis had the highest murder rate of 2023 in a comparison of 10 major cities identified as “homicide hubs” within the United States, according to an analysis published Wednesday.
The only Tennessee city tracked for the Wirepoints report, Memphis had a murder rate of 63.9 homicides per 100,000 people in 2023. A total of 397 homicides were reported in the city last year, up by 38 percent from 2022, when the city saw 288 homicides.
Memphis’ murder rate exceeded the murder rate of Chicago, which reported 23.2 murders per 100,000 people, and Philadelphia, which saw 26 murders per 100,000 people. The city also fared worse than cities with a similar or lower population, with the murder rate in Memphis also exceeding the murder rates of Baltimore, Detroit, and New Orleans.
The findings follow those of the Memphis Crime Commission, which revealed in September that Memphis had already seen a 42.2 percent increase in murders.
In the same report, it was revealed Memphis suffered a 9.6 percent increase in overall crime, driven by a 26 percent increase in major property crime and a 5 percent increase in major violent crime.
By November, the city had already broken a 2021 record for the number of homicides in the year as Memphis recorded its 352nd homicide of the year.
Memphis went on to record its first homicide of 2024 on January 1, as Mayor Paul Young was set to be inaugurated. Young referenced the murder in remarks made during his inauguration, declaring that such news stories set a poor “narrative” for the city.
Following the fatal November shooting of St. Jude research doctor Alexander Bulakhov, a “hard-hitting crime plan” was promised by Young within his first 100 days in office. Young pledged to “combat this lawlessness” with “a multi-pronged, hard hitting, and focused effort” to restore public safety in Memphis.
The nationally recognized spike in Memphis’ homicide rate comes as the city’s police department struggles to recruit and retain police officers. In 2023, it was reported that the number of Memphis Police Department (MPD) officers declined by 22.6 percent, with 2,499 officers reporting for duty in 2011 and just 1,895 in 2022.
Since then, State Senator Brent Taylor (R-Memphis) wrote to Governor Bill Lee (R) requesting support for the city, which he said was under “siege” from its criminal element. Shortly after, Lee ordered an additional 65 Tennessee Highway Patrol troopers to monitor state roads and highways in the city “for the foreseeable future.”
Amid Memphis’ years-long struggle with crime, more than 30,000 residents have left the city since 2017. A recent report revealed Memphis saw its population decline by about 5 percent in just five years. Memphis was the only major Tennessee city to see its population shrink.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Georgia Star News, The Virginia Star, and the Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Memphis Police Van” by Thomas R Machnitzki. CC BY 3.0.
Memphis has been dangerous for decades. This is a prime example of Democrat rule, liberals, progressives. Total chaos. And they try to tell the rest of the state how to run by attempting more gun control laws? Pathetic.
It has been this way for quite a while. It is getting worse. Even the few good coos we have left have given up because they know that if they risk their lives to arrest someone, that same thug will be backbon the street within hours or a few days looking for him/her. TBI needs to do deep investigation into the local criminal justice system here. It is vert corrupt.
Where is our illustrious Governor?
Do NOT visit Memphis or move there. It is incredibly dangerous and has been for many years. Tell your friends and family. It is truly one of the most dangerous cities in the US and by far the most dangerous in TN. If you must go, be very alert and carry a gun. Realize that someone might walk up behind you and shoot you in the back. Lots of random murders. Criminals drive around looking for someone to rob.
Google “Memphis Chamber CEO murdered” and you can read about how in 2018 the President / CEO of the Memphis Chamber was shot in the back of the head. It was a random robbery. Notice that they didn’t say “Put your hands up and give us your money”. Just killed him. He had moved Downtown to prove that Memphis was safe. Have you ever heard a story like this?
Recently a St. Jude physician and his wife and daughter were murdered – they were out for a walk. Another random robbery. They moved to Memphis from Brooklyn.
I’ve heard many stories – friends driving through shoot outs, home invasions, murders that seemed to not have a motive. Apparently, a lot of armed criminals drive around looking for someone to rob. Workers can’t even go up an electric pole without an armed guard on the ground because someone will stop, pull out a gun and say “Throw down your wallet”.
Need more outrageous examples? Have you ever heard of a “Memphis Door”? It’s to stop home invasions. Can you guess why companies tell employees to close the blinds if they were working after dark? (Clue – think “snipers”). Ever heard of the “dead-eye gang”? I saw one. They walk around like zombies – weird, scary and unforgettable.
I promise what I’ve written is true. If I lived there I would always be armed and perhaps wear a sign that says “I have a gun.”
After 2023, I have run out of “shocked faces” when reading the news. Otherwise, I would have used one here.
generations of democrat rule