Clarksville rape cases on the rise

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Reported rape cases are on the rise in Clarksville, with a nearly 37% increase compared to this time last year. One newly-formed team is now working to address the problem.

According to Clarksville Police Department (CPD), between Jan. 1 and July 23 of this year, the city had seen 67 total rapes. That’s a total of 18 more rape cases than the same time in 2023.

Numbers from Clarksville’s recently-formed Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) show that there were 99 more sexual assaults in 2023 compared to 2022.

It’s a problem Ward 9 Councilwoman Karen Reynolds fears will get worse.

“This number is growing, and it does not include the unreported or the people who said, ‘It’s too hard, I’m not going,’ or ‘I already know what’s going to happen and what they’re going to say, I’m not going,'” she said.

Reynolds is one of several members of SART, which is also comprised of representatives from the District Attorney’s Office, CPD, the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, Austin Peay State University Police, 160th SHARP Rep, Tennova SANE, BACH SANE, the health department, Centerstone, and other mental health providers.

The councilwoman feels a lack of resources is an ongoing problem in the community.

“Right now in our community, we only have two people that are trained to actually react to a sexual assault and trained to collect the data. That doesn’t mean that other people aren’t doing it and they are not familiar with the process, but they haven’t been formally trained and we’re missing opportunities and unable to prosecute sexual assault,” she said.

According to Reynolds, one case in the last several months especially bothered her.

“A 16-year-old arrived in the emergency room and waited three hours and then was told that they had to go to Nashville because we did not treat children. Actually, we could have taken the evidence and taken care of that child here in town, but we delayed care for a very long time before we took care of a child,” Reynolds said.

News 2 reached out to CPD about rape numbers. A spokesperson did not wish to do an interview and said numbers are subject to change pending investigations.

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When we asked about trends, the spokesperson replied, “Every case is unique,” and “Pinpointing criminal behavior is impossible.” It was then pointed out that vehicle burglaries were down by 98, vehicle thefts were down by 42, and aggravated assaults were down by 24.

Reynolds encouraged all victims to visit the emergency room, adding that she wants to expand rape kits to large family practices. She also hopes the SART team will help bring more convenient and centralized resources to sexual assault victims.

SART leaders plan to launch an app with education and community resources by the end of 2024.

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