Memphis police report year‑to‑date drops in Part 1 crimes; council presses for larceny detail and vehicle‑recovery fixes

Memphis — The Memphis Police Department told City Council committees on Dec. 16 that Part 1 crimes across the city have fallen in 2025 compared with prior years, but several council members said the numbers mask neighborhood concerns about persistent larceny and gaps in vehicle‑recovery notifications.

Chief CJ Davis opened the Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee with a year‑to‑date review of Part 1 crime categories, reporting declines in murder, aggravated assault, robbery, burglary, larceny and motor‑vehicle thefts. Davis highlighted sizable reductions in vehicle thefts — from 9,394 in 2024 to 5,393 in 2025 — and said the department has taken ‘‘over 800 guns off the street’’ in recent months.

The mayor’s ComStat process and targeted deployments were cited as central to the trend. ‘‘Every Thursday, we do the deep dive,’’ Davis said, describing weekly reviews that inform where to deploy patrols and intervention partners. He told council the department is coordinating with the Tennessee Highway Patrol and federal partners to sustain visibility in the city’s hardest‑hit corridors.

But the committee quickly turned to larceny, a catch‑all category that includes shoplifting, package theft and scrap‑metal thefts. Councilwoman Logan asked for a breakdown of the large larceny totals and whether the department is tracking repeat offenders. Assistant Chief Keith Brown said shoplifting and convenience‑store thefts account for a significant share and pointed to business‑partnerships, store cameras and short‑term visibility operations as part of the response. ‘‘We work with business owners so that we can ensure we have faces and names of especially individuals that are regular repeat offenders,’’ Brown said.

Several council members pressed for a written report that separates types of larceny and shows precinct‑level detail so the city can evaluate whether the decline is citywide or concentrated in specific areas. ‘‘When you see high numbers like this, people get alarmed,’’ Logan said. "I'd like to see how the 15 categories break down against that large number."

Council members also raised repeated constituent complaints about the vehicle‑recovery process when other agencies recover cars. Councilwoman Cooper Sutton described cases where victims say their recovered cars were impounded and attached to large towing fees without notification. MPD officials said the contracted impounder and the department will waive fees for verified stolen‑vehicle victims in many cases and will pass charges to insurers when owners do not retrieve vehicles. Chief Antonio Adams, the city’s chief operating officer, said the city will review specific incidents to find procedural gaps and encouraged council members to forward cases for follow‑up.

On enforcement tactics, council members proposed rotating undercover operations in stores with persistent problems and asked the department to report whether those targeted operations are reducing theft at particular businesses. MPD said some recent ‘‘soft visibility’’ deployments — including temporary state and federal resources used as a deterrent — are producing measurable decreases at specific locations, particularly large retailers.

The committee did not take a vote on policy changes; the MPD presentation was accepted and council asked that future reports include more disaggregated larceny categories, precinct‑level trends and updates on coordination with state partners on recovered vehicles.

What’s next: Council members asked MPD to return with a written larceny‑category breakdown and precinct maps, plus a short assessment of the department’s plan to improve notification and fee handling for recovered stolen vehicles.