Memphis recorded 302 homicides in 2022. That number is simultaneously a relief and an indictment. A relief because 2021 set the all-time record at 346. An indictment because 302 dead people in a city of 628,000 is, by any rational standard, a catastrophe.
This is our annual crime review, the last Thursday of February, same as every year. The tradition exists because the numbers matter, and because the people who manage security operations, run businesses, and own property across Shelby County need a clear picture of what happened last year to plan for this one.
The picture for 2022 is not simple. Homicides fell. Total Part 1 crimes, the FBI’s classification for serious offenses, told a more complicated story. Auto theft exploded. Carjackings remained a defining feature of daily life in Memphis. And in September, a case that started with a woman going for a morning jog near the University of Memphis made this city’s name synonymous with danger in the national imagination.
Homicides: Down From the Record, Still Above Pre-Pandemic Levels
The 302 homicides in 2022 represent a decline of roughly 12.7% from 2021’s record of 346. MPD Chief CJ Davis credited the SCORPION unit and other enforcement strategies for the reduction. Of the 302 total homicides, 247 were classified as murders by MPD, with the remainder including justifiable homicides and cases still under investigation at year-end.
For context, Memphis recorded 332 homicides in 2020, the first year of the pandemic spike. Before that, the number had hovered between 180 and 230 for most of the 2010s. The 2019 count was 197.
So while the year-over-year decline from 2021 to 2022 is real, the city is still running at roughly 50% above its pre-pandemic baseline. The decline from 346 to 302 is less a turnaround than a retreat from an unsustainable peak.
The geographic distribution of homicides in 2022 followed familiar patterns. North Memphis, including the Frayser and Raleigh precincts, accounted for a disproportionate share. The Whitehaven precinct saw elevated numbers throughout the summer months. South Memphis, particularly the area bounded by Crump Boulevard, Bellevue, and South Third Street, remained one of the most dangerous stretches in the city.
Firearms were involved in the vast majority of homicides, consistent with national trends. Domestic violence-related killings accounted for an estimated 15 to 20% of the total, though MPD’s reporting on motive categories remains less detailed than what other major city departments publish.
The Eliza Fletcher Case
No single crime in 2022 defined Memphis’s national reputation more than the kidnapping and murder of Eliza Fletcher.
On September 2, Fletcher, a 34-year-old teacher and mother of two, was abducted while jogging near the University of Memphis campus around 4:20 a.m. Surveillance footage captured a dark SUV approaching her on Central Avenue near the corner of Zach Curlin Street. She was forced into the vehicle. Her body was found four days later behind a vacant duplex on Victor Street in South Memphis.
Cleotha Abston, a convicted felon who had served 20 years for a prior kidnapping, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder and kidnapping.
The Fletcher case did something that 302 homicides didn’t: it made the national media pay sustained attention to Memphis crime. The victim’s family background, her connection to a prominent Memphis business family, and the horrifying circumstances of the crime generated weeks of coverage on every major network. For residents who had been living with these crime levels for years, the sudden national interest was bitter. Memphis had been dangerous long before Eliza Fletcher went for a run. The attention came only when the victim fit a certain profile.
For the security industry, the Fletcher case had immediate and measurable effects. Property managers near the University of Memphis campus accelerated security improvements. Residential complexes in Midtown and the Medical District added patrols. Businesses along the Central Avenue corridor from Cooper-Young to Highland Strip invested in camera systems and lighting upgrades.
Auto Theft: The Epidemic Nobody Could Stop
If homicides were the headline crime of 2021, auto theft became the story of 2022. Memphis experienced an explosion in vehicle thefts that defied every enforcement effort.
The numbers are staggering even by Memphis standards. TBI data shows that roughly 11,000 vehicles were stolen in Memphis during 2022, continuing a trend that saw the city lead the nation in per-capita auto theft. The clearance rate, the percentage of cases where police identified a suspect, was approximately 7%. That means 93 out of every 100 auto theft victims in Memphis never saw an arrest.
Several factors converged to create the epidemic. Hyundai and Kia models manufactured between 2015 and 2021, which lack engine immobilizer chips standard in most other vehicles, became easy targets after viral social media videos demonstrated how to steal them with a USB cable. Memphis had a high concentration of these vehicles. Juveniles accounted for a significant percentage of the thefts, which complicated prosecution since Tennessee’s juvenile justice system emphasizes diversion over detention for property crimes.
The auto theft wave wasn’t just a property crime problem. Stolen vehicles were used in carjackings, robberies, and drive-by shootings. A stolen car recovered by police one week might be connected to three or four other crimes committed during the days it was missing. MPD’s auto theft task force made arrests throughout the year, yet the sheer volume overwhelmed every response.
For private security companies, auto theft drove contract activity in unexpected ways. Dealerships that had never hired overnight guards started doing so after losing inventory off their lots. Apartment complexes installed gate access systems and hired guards for parking areas. Businesses along the Summer Avenue corridor and the Getwell Road industrial area near the airport added camera coverage specifically to monitor parking lots.
Carjackings: The Crime That Changed Behavior
Memphis recorded hundreds of carjackings in 2022, continuing a surge that began in 2020. The exact count varies depending on how MPD classifies incidents, since a carjacking can be coded as a robbery, an aggravated assault, or an auto theft depending on the circumstances and the reporting officer’s discretion.
What the numbers don’t capture is the behavioral change. By mid-2022, carjacking fear had altered how Memphians moved through their own city. People stopped sitting in parked cars with the engine running. They approached ATMs differently. They checked mirrors at red lights. Gas stations along Winchester Road, Hickory Hill Road, and Stage Road became anxiety zones after dark, particularly for women.
This is the type of crime that private security can address directly. A uniformed guard at a gas station or a bank parking lot won’t stop every carjacking, yet the visible presence reduces the likelihood that a specific location becomes a target. The businesses that invested in on-site security in 2022 generally reported fewer incidents than comparable properties without security. That’s not a controlled study. It’s a consistent observation from property managers across the city.
Property Crime: The Numbers That Don’t Make Headlines
While homicides and carjackings dominated the news, property crime in Memphis remained extraordinarily high throughout 2022. Burglaries, larceny-theft, and vandalism affected tens of thousands of residents and businesses.
Retail theft, both organized and opportunistic, hit Memphis retailers hard. The Wolfchase Galleria area, the Southland Mall corridor, and standalone big-box stores along Covington Pike all reported losses. National retailers adjusted their Memphis operations, with some reducing hours, adding loss prevention staff, or restructuring store layouts to limit theft opportunities.
The catalytic converter theft wave, which started nationally in 2020, hit Memphis with full force in 2022. Thieves with battery-powered saws could remove a converter in 90 seconds. Certain models, particularly Toyota Priuses and Honda CR-Vs, were targeted repeatedly. Church parking lots on Sunday mornings became popular targets because the thieves knew exactly how long the vehicle would be unattended.
Neighborhood Breakdown
Not all of Memphis experienced 2022 the same way.
The Frayser precinct, covering the area north of I-40 between the Wolf River and the Shelby County line, remained one of the city’s most violent areas. Homicides, aggravated assaults, and drug-related crime were concentrated along a corridor from Thomas Street to Hollywood Street.
Hickory Hill, the large area southeast of the intersection of Winchester and Hickory Hill Road, saw elevated property crime and a concentration of carjackings, particularly around the commercial strip at Winchester and Riverdale.
Whitehaven, south of Shelby Drive, experienced a difficult summer. The area around Elvis Presley Boulevard and Brooks Road saw repeated violent incidents. Graceland’s tourism economy created an unusual security dynamic: a heavily-guarded tourist attraction surrounded by neighborhoods with limited police coverage.
Midtown and the Medical District, typically among the safer central neighborhoods, saw crime increases in 2022 that alarmed residents. The Fletcher kidnapping happened at the edge of this area. Vehicle break-ins around Overton Park and along the Cooper-Young restaurant row became frequent enough that business owners organized neighborhood watch meetings.
East Memphis and Germantown, while statistically safer, weren’t immune. Auto thefts hit residential streets in these areas with increasing regularity, and the Poplar-Perkins intersection saw several armed robberies at restaurants and retail stores.
How Private Security Responded
The private security industry in Memphis had its busiest year in recent memory during 2022. Contract revenue across the local market grew, driven primarily by property crime concerns and the auto theft epidemic.
Guard companies expanded their offerings. Mobile patrol services, where a marked vehicle checks multiple client properties on a loop throughout the night, became the fastest-growing service category. It’s cheaper than stationing a guard at one location, and for businesses that can’t justify the cost of dedicated security, a patrol car stopping by three times per shift offers a middle ground.
Camera installation companies also saw record demand. The convergence of affordable high-resolution cameras, cloud storage, and remote monitoring meant that businesses could install a basic surveillance system for $2,000 to $5,000 and monitor it from a phone. That’s not a substitute for a guard, yet for many small businesses, it was the only security investment they could afford.
Looking at 2023
If you’re reading this on February 23, 2023, you already know that the new year has brought its own crisis. The Tyre Nichols case, the SCORPION disbandment, and the national conversation about Memphis policing have overshadowed everything else. We’ll cover those developments separately and in depth.
From a crime data perspective, the open question for 2023 is whether the modest decline in homicides from 2021 to 2022 represents a trend or a blip. The loss of the SCORPION unit removes one of the tools MPD credited with that decline. Staffing shortages continue. Community trust in police is at its lowest point in memory.
The 302 people who died violently in Memphis in 2022 aren’t a trend line or a talking point. They were people with families, routines, and futures that ended on specific streets at specific times. The data tells us where and how. It doesn’t tell us enough about why, and until it does, the next annual review will read a lot like this one.