NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — New data shows the Metro Nashville Police Department’s (MNPD) response times have risen significantly in the past five years. Specifically, the average response time jumped roughly 50% since 2019.
Metro police response times to lower-level —routine and urgent— calls averaged between about 50 and 90 minutes in December.
By comparison, response times to those same calls in December of 2019 averaged between 30 and 60 minutes. Some residents said they feel that difference when they call to report car break-ins.
“They’re uneasy with how the police are responding. They’re uneasy about why this is happening,” said Von Moye, a longtime Nashville resident.
Moye established a large neighborhood watch group in East Nashville to help curtail these non-violent crimes.
“Started out, you know, about 1,000 members. Today, we have over 15,000,” detailed Moye.
MNPD’s average response time to emergency calls was about 13 minutes in 2024. Meanwhile, in 2019, the response was just under 10 minutes.
The police department told News 2 their focus is on those life-threatening, “Code 3” calls.
As a result, calls for car break-in don’t get the highest priority response. Moye said he believes that’s why it’s important for residents to more proactive on their end, including posting new “Neighborhood Watch” signs around their neighborhoods.
“They’re a lot bigger than the existing signs that are probably 25 years old. I think if we can get our neighborhoods plastered with these signs, it’s going to let the bad people know that the residents are fed up, they’re watching, they’re going to call the police on you,” said Moye.
There have been countless discussions surrounding police response on social media amid the recent surge of car break-ins.
One woman told News 2 her car was stolen from out front of her home and she waited five hours for police to arrive, adding that she lives just two miles away from a police precinct.
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Another resident quipped, “Doesn’t there have to be an actual ‘response’ for there to be a measurable response time?”
News 2 reached out to both Mayor O’Connell’s office and the police department for further comment on the data. Neither were able to speak on Tuesday afternoon.
To access Metro police’s data on response times, click HERE.
