Drop in downtown Nashville crime one year after director of nightlife appointed

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — There has been a 3.5% decrease in overall crime in downtown Nashville one year after the former mayor appointed the city’s first director of nightlife.

Benton McDonough, Nashville’s Director of Nightlife, acts as the liaison between nightlife stakeholders, including businesses, neighbors, and Metro government officials.

Since he was appointed to the position, downtown Nashville has seen a drop in every crime category except auto theft, which increased by 12.6%.

According to the data, homicides in the Central precinct decreased by 40% compared to this time last year, robberies decreased by 13.4%, and burglaries decreased by 37.4%

McDonough told News 2 he isn’t surprised by the reduction in crime after spending the past year building relationships with businesses and residents downtown, then working with officials to improve public safety and quality of life through a variety of initiatives.

Metro Councilman Jacob Kupin told News 2 that one of the main issues officials worked to fix was the noise level downtown.

“There were a couple of incidents where police officers couldn’t even hear each other during incidents,” Kupin said. “There was a bill that was passed prior to my time on council, and [McDonough] was helping to walk around weekly at night helping to enforce that and understand how that was impacting businesses.”

In addition, officials also added lights to dark areas where there were concerns about drug activity and assaults, including a portion below the pedestrian bridge.

Both McDonough and Kupin also credited the Metro Nashville Police Department’s new Entertainment District Unit, which has officers focusing specifically on the downtown core. Before the unit was implemented, the area was patrolled by officers working overtime, according to McDonough.

“That’s been super helpful as well to have officers walk the same routes, know the business owners, know the bars, know the security people, and I think they have really done a great job to address our night scene and get it to a point that feels safe and accessible,” Kupin said.

“That’s helped a lot to build relationships and trust between the business owners and the residents,” McDonough added.

However, despite the public safety improvements and drop in crime downtown, Metro officials are still working on challenges residents and business owners face throughout the city.

“There’s still work to be done. I still hear from residents and visitors alike. There are certain safety concerns that come up and challenges they face, but I want people to know Nashville is a safe city, it’s a fun city, it’s a place to come visit and it’s a place to live,” Kupin said.