Nashville police outline staffing, school-safety and downtown policing asks as crime falls in 2025

Chief Drake, head of the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department, told the Metropolitan Council Budget & Finance Committee that major crime in Nashville is down 8.3% year-to-date and outlined the department’s staffing shortfalls and budgetary requests for the coming fiscal year.

The chief said the mayor’s proposed budget includes a $21.5 million general fund increase for the police department and that an additional $3.5 million in transit-related funding brings the total the mayor referenced to $25 million — money the department proposes to use for officers focused on school safety and precinct staffing. Janine Reed, the city finance director, confirmed the split between the general fund and transit budget during the hearing.

Why it matters: the department presented a mix of personnel, program and equipment requests that would affect school safety coverage, response times across precincts and downtown policing. Some line items — notably the Alternative Police Response unit (APR) and the Entertainment District Unit (EDU) — were not included in the mayor’s proposed budget and would require separate approval or placement on a council wish list.

Chief Drake opened with crime statistics for the first five-and-a-half months of 2025, attributing reductions to department strategies: "Overall, major crime is down 8.3%. Violent crime is down 8.5%. Property crime is down 8.2%." He said homicide is down 28% and nonlethal gunshot injuries are down 37%.

On staffing, Drake said MNPD currently has 1,572 sworn officers, a deficit of 86 from an authorized strength of…