NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — It seems like there has been a shift in the reporting of sexual assaults. While there had been a steady increase in the number of reports being filed, advocates said it means more people are coming forward to report them.

The Sexual Assault Center has been in Nashville for over 40 years and saw the shift firsthand.

“Sexual assault is way too prevalent. It is a silent epidemic in our society,” explained Rachel Freeman, the CEO of the Nashville Sexual Assault Center. “People are talking about it a lot more. People seem to be much more ready and willing to have these conversations to address sexual assault and to report to law enforcement.”

It is a serious topic, but one that more people are open to discussing.

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“It is not as taboo here. It’s a conversation that people are having more comfortably, more readily,” said Freeman.

Unofficial data from Metro Police showed a steady increase in the number of sexual assaults being reported. Still, that high number comes with the hope that more people feel comfortable reporting it.

“We’ve seen a continued increase in the numbers of people we serve in the safe clinic who want to report their rape to law enforcement, and that’s a good, good step. That’s good progress,” she said.

The largest increase has been in the police department’s Midtown Hills Precinct, where reports of rape have risen by 82.1 percent compared to this time last year.

The number of reports in the Midtown Hills Precinct also saw a significant jump from last month. Preliminary data showed that there were only 15 reports made. As of June 1, 2024, there were 51 rapes reported in the area.

The data came on the heels of new legislation signed into law by Governor Bill Lee, dubbed the name “Danielle’s Law,” or HB2216.

“I sort of came to and realized that I was in my own room, in my own bed, being sexually assaulted,” said Danielle Pyle in an interview with News 2 earlier this year.

Pyle is a rape survivor, she said, who was assaulted by a stranger nearly three years ago after attending a friend’s birthday celebration.

During her testimony before lawmakers, Pyle said she did everything she was supposed to do after the incident, including filing a formal police report with Metro Nashville Police Department and having a rape kit completed at the Sexual Assault Center.

“I cooperated in every stage of the process,” she said.

Unfortunately, after being told by a detective that she would be contacted when there was an update to her case, she learned her file was “lost on a desk for eight months” and the Nashville District Attorney’s office had declined to take up her case for criminal charges. She wasn’t told about her file until 13 months after she initially reported.

Currently, Tennessee law prohibits someone who is raped or sexually assaulted from filing suit more than one year after the incident occurs. But HB2216 would give victims five years to file suit if there is a police report for their assault, and three years if there is not a police report.

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“When that is something someone has gone through, they want to go through the criminal or civil justice process that takes time. Sometimes people don’t know right away whether or not they want to do that and sometimes the system is lengthy. Because of that, we want to make sure victims and survivors have the time they need to determine whether or not this is something that they want to pursue,” Freeman said.

The Sexual Assault Center has a Statewide 24-hour crisis and Support Line if you or anyone you know needs support following a sexual assault. You can call 1-866-811-RISE (7473).

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