NASHVILLE – The State of Tennessee saw a decrease in the number of hate crimes committed in the state and the number of law enforcement officers killed or assaulted for the calendar year 2010, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s statistical analysis of Tennessee crime statistics and the compiling of two separate, annual reports.

The TBI released both “Hate Crime 2010” and “Tennessee: Law Enforcement Officers Killed or Assaulted (LEOKA) 2010” Thursday based on required monthly reporting of local law enforcement agencies crime statistics across the state.

Bias motivated offenses were down 20percent to 191 offenses reported in 2010 compared with 240 in 2009. Overall, a three year analysis of hate bias offenses shows a 55percent decrease in hate crimes reported between 2008 and 2010. There were 1,828 LEOKA incidents reported in 2010 compared with 2,060 in 2009, an 11 percent decrease.

Hate Crime 2010 Highlights

• Hate bias offenses reported in 2010 represented 0.03percent of the total of Group A Offenses reported in “Crime in Tennessee 2010.”

• Racial bias offenses represent nearly 58percent of all hate crimes reported and African-American bias offenses represents nearly 45percent of the racial bias total.

• Forty-eight percent of all hate bias offenses occurred at a home or residence and the most frequent victim age range was 18-24 at almost 21percent of all age ranges.

LEOKA 2010 Highlights

• A total of 1,660 LEOKA incidents were cleared resulting in almost a 91percent clearance rate with the majority of them being cleared by arrest.

• The most frequently reported weapon type used was personal weapons (hand, fists, feet) at 64percent.     Firearms were reported nearly 10percent of the time which is a 3 percent increase from 2009.

Full copies of these reports can be downloaded from the TBI website at www.tbi.tn.gov.

From the TBI homepage, click on Crime Statistics for a fly-out link to the Statistical Analysis Center webpage. Scroll down the page to find the separate 2010 Hate Crime and LEOKA reports.

Additional information can be acquired at www.tncrimeonline.com.