NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Relief is on the way for Southeast Nashville residents who say slow police response times have put their safety at risk.
Metro Police are preparing to open a long-awaited ninth precinct in the fast-growing Antioch area, where public safety resources have been stretched thin. The new Southeast Precinct, located at the site of a former K-Mart at 2491 Murfreesboro Pike, is expected to open between October and November 1, though an official date has not been set.
Currently, Antioch is split between the Hermitage and South precincts, with officers covering roughly 160 square miles combined. Residents and city leaders say the size of the area has made timely police response difficult.
Councilmember Joy Styles, who represents part of the 37013 ZIP code, has pushed for years to bring a dedicated precinct to the area.
“When you think about this precinct opening, they’re going to be spending a lot of time over here policing Bell Road, Murfreesboro Road—we’ve got all the drag racers of plenty,” Styles said. “They like to do meetups here in the parking lot behind us. And so right now, a lot of these things take place because people know our response times are so long.”
Styles notes the ninth precinct will be just six minutes from her district in the 37013 zip code. Data from 2024 shows this area had 3,738 emergency calls with an average response time exceeding 15 minutes — one of the highest in the county.
“People are going to feel encouraged to be able to make a phone call, call for help, and know that help is actually coming in an appropriate timeframe,” Styles said.
The Southeast Precinct will be staffed by Commander Carlos Lara, along with three lieutenants, 17 sergeants, 61 officers, and an administrative assistant. It will cover more than 72 square miles, including 14.4 square miles of Percy Priest Lake.
Once operational, the new precinct will reduce the land areas covered by the South, Hermitage, and Midtown Hills precincts. Coverage areas for the Central, East, North, Madison, and West precincts will remain unchanged.
Local leaders say the new facility marks a crucial step toward equity in public safety across Nashville’s growing neighborhoods.
“People can know that they can call officers. Officers are going to respond,” Styles said.
When the Southeast Precinct becomes operational, it will reduce the coverage areas of the South, Hermitage, and Midtown Hills Precincts, while Central, East, North, Madison, and West precincts will remain unchanged.
This story was reported on-air and written by Kelsey Gibbs and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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