Tennessee Sex Offense Study

August 2006

INTRODUCTION
This study was compiled using the new Tennessee Crime Online website at: www.tncrimeonline.com The Tennessee Crime Online website has been active since June 2006. The public is able to access the site and can research crime statistics based on their own criteria. The data in this study may be run for a region, county or agency at the website. There is a tutorial available from the main page that will guide the user through running a basic report as well as a second tutorial on the “Public Reports” page.

Agencies report incidents of crime through the TIBRS system. An incident is defined for TIBRS reporting purposes as ““one or more offenses committed by the same offender, or group of offenders acting in concert, at the same time and place.” “Acting in concert” requires that the offenders actually commit or assist in the commission of the crime(s). “Same time and place” means that the time interval between the offenses and the distance between the locations where they occurred were insignificant.”

Sex offense statistics in Tennessee are submitted to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) through the Tennessee Incident Based Reporting System (TIBRS). Data is submitted by sheriff’s departments, municipal police departments, state parks, colleges and universities, drug task forces, other police departments (i.e., airport police departments), and state agencies. The data period covered in the research brief is for the calendar year 2005. ..more.. by Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Crime Statistics Unit