Thursday, May 14, 2009

TBI Releases First Ever School Crimes Study

Nashville, TN- The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation today released its first ever study dedicated to crime in Tennessee’s schools. Produced by TBI’s Crime Statistics Unit, the study spans a three-year period between 2006 and 2008 and is based on numbers submitted by Tennessee law enforcement agencies to the Tennessee Incident Based Reporting System (TIBRS).

Excluded in the study are statistics from Tennessee’s college and university law enforcement agencies. Those statistics are complied in TBI’s “Crime on Campus” report that was released earlier this year. However, there is still approximately four percent of offenses submitted by local law enforcement agencies that indicated the crime occurred on a college campus. Those statistics have not been excluded in this study. So for the five homicides reported, three occurred on a college campus and the other was incorrectly reported with two victims when it was actually one. Therefore, only one homicide occurred at a school as defined within the parameters of this study.

“School Crimes Study” Fact List
> Two percent of total crime committed across the state, or approximately 12,000 incidents, occurred at a schools. April 2008 recorded the highest number of offenses at 1,500.
> The most frequently reported offense was simple assault at about 30 percent.
> Eighty-four percent of the weapons used to commit simple assaults were “Personal Weapons” such as hands, feet, teeth, etc…Only 0.4% of crimes involved a firearm.
>More than 1,800 Theft from Buildings were recorded each year. Drug violations reached more than 1,300 and vandalism at well over 1,200 each year.
> The total number of rapes reported were ten, however, eight occurred on a college campus.
> Males were the majority of offenders at 56 percent while females were at 22 percent.
>The majority of the crimes were committed during months when school was in session and through the school week, with 20 percent of incidents occurring on Fridays.
> The average age of offenders and arrestees over the three-year period was 16 years old. The average age of victims was 23.

Crime in schools is a concern for Tennesseans. It is important to understand the characteristics surrounding school crime and its offenders and victims. This understanding will help schools, policy makers, law enforcement and the public learn how to better combat crime in schools. To view the “School Crimes Study” in its entirety, go to the TBI website at www.tbi.state.tn.us. Click on “Crime Statistics” from the homepage. The study is listed under “Specialized Reports.”

.

.