Campus Police Continues to Strengthen Safety Efforts as Crime Remains Low

Crime remained low on the University of Tennessee Health Sciences campus in 2025, with statistics showing continued declines in assaults, thefts and other reported offenses, while many of the most serious crimes were absent for another year.

The statistics were presented during a recent University of Tennessee Board of Trustees meeting. A review of campus safety highlighted an overall decrease in reported crime across most UT System campuses in 2025. Systemwide, overall reported crime, drug and narcotics offenses, assaultive offenses and aggravated assaults all declined compared with the previous year.

At UT Health Sciences, crime has historically remained low, with assaults, thefts and other property crimes either decreasing or staying at low levels in recent years. The report showed no incidents on campus in 2025 of many serious crimes, including homicide, robbery, kidnapping and forcible sex offenses.

The positive trends mirror broader improvements across Memphis, where the Memphis Police Department has reported substantial declines in both violent and property crime during 2026, bringing both to their lowest levels in 20 years. From April through June of this year, crime was down 36% compared to the same period last year, the department reported.

"The low crime rates reported in 2025 reflect the dedicated efforts of our campus police personnel and the shared commitment of our campus community," said UT Health Sciences Campus Police Chief Anthony Berryhill. "It further demonstrates the effectiveness of our ongoing efforts to promote campus safety through prevention, education, collaboration and proactive policing."

To further strengthen campus safety, UT Health Sciences has invested more than $26 million in security enhancements across campus. Recent improvements include 3,636 security cameras, 470 access-controlled doors and 150 strategically placed panic alarms. The Campus Police Department has also added three new patrol vehicles to its fleet, and three more are expected to arrive by the end of August.

Beyond technology and physical security enhancements, Campus Police promotes a culture of safety through a comprehensive crime prevention and education program. The department provides safety escorts for faculty, staff and students, educational resources on topics such as personal safety and property protection, and crime prevention classes and safety seminars upon request. In addition to patrolling the UT Health Sciences campus, officers patrol throughout the Memphis Medical District in partnership with local agencies.

In 2025, simple assault declined to eight incidents, down from 14 in 2024 and 13 in 2023. Larceny and theft also continued a downward trend, with 11 reported incidents in 2025, compared with 17 in 2024 and 19 in 2023. Property damage and vandalism remained steady at 10 incidents in 2025, matching the previous year and down from 19 incidents in 2023.

For the third consecutive year, the report showed there were no incidents of homicide, kidnapping, counterfeiting and forgery, embezzlement and gambling offenses. Additionally, there were no burglaries, robberies, arsons or extortion cases during the year.

Motor vehicle thefts and weapons law violations remained uncommon, with one reported incident of each crime in 2025. Drug and narcotics violations increased from one incident in 2024 to five in 2025, though they remained below the 10 incidents reported in 2023.

"We are particularly encouraged by the continued decline in assaults and thefts, as well as the absence of many serious crimes on campus," Chief Berryhill said. "While progress is worth recognizing, our commitment remains unchanged: to provide a safe, secure and welcoming environment for all."

"While we are pleased to see that crime continues to reflect a reduction, a welcome trend, we need to continue to be vigilant and invest in our campus safety and security," said Raaj Kurapati, executive vice chancellor and chief operating officer for the university. "To that end we are investing close to $5 million in campus fencing, new camera technology, lighting and access controls. The campus community should see the results of these investments in the coming months."

UT Health Sciences prepares a crime report each year in accordance with the federal Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, commonly known as the Clery Act. The law requires colleges and universities that participate in federal financial aid programs to publish annual crime statistics and information about campus safety policies.

The complete Annual Security Report includes crime statistics for the previous three calendar years, campus safety policies, emergency response procedures, crime prevention programs and resources available to students, faculty, staff, patients and visitors.