The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation says a full audit of the Memphis Police Department’s crime-reporting practices found no significant issues, according to a letter sent Wednesday to Sen. Brent Taylor and Rep. John Gillespie.
The lawmakers requested the audit earlier this year after concerns were raised about whether Memphis crime statistics were being properly classified and reported.
The TBI letter, signed by Director David Rausch, says the review mirrored the FBI’s audit process and was conducted in October by the agency’s Crime and Law Enforcement Statistics Unit.
Rausch wrote that the audit included a sample review of 750 reports and an examination of several internal MPD memorandums.
He said there were some findings but noted that neither the type nor the number of issues was unusual. Rausch said the audit results were consistent with those of most departments.
The letter says TBI and MPD held a productive exit interview and that TBI provided guidance to ensure continued compliance with TIBRS reporting standards.
Newly updated data from the Memphis Police Department’s Safer Communities Dashboard also shows continued declines across major crime categories. Citywide Part I crimes are down 26.7 percent compared with the same period in 2024.
Downtown Memphis has seen a 32.4 percent year-over-year decrease. Weekly totals are down 44.7 percent from the same week last year.
The dashboard reports 36,614 Group A offenses so far in 2025 and updates each morning with new data.
Gillespie released the TBI letter publicly Wednesday, saying the audit confirms the accuracy of the city’s reported drop in crime.
In a statement on X, he said the findings show “the numbers don’t lie” and that the public “can finally trust the results again.”
Gillespie credited the decline to recent federal and state efforts targeting violent crime and said the audit provides confidence in the numbers moving forward.
Rausch told lawmakers the bureau is available to provide any further information if needed.
Photo credit: Memphis Police Department via X.
