The Rockville City Police Department continues its commitment to community policing amid a time of change and challenges for law enforcement, as detailed in a 2022 crime report that analyzes the year’s crime statistics and details RCPD initiatives.
“We have seen a rise in crime all over the nation, as well as regionally in the DC Metro area. We have not been immune to crime trends and issues here in Rockville, but we have worked quickly to address issues and concerns through investigative techniques, arrests, and high visibility details,” Chief Victor V. Brito wrote in a message introducing the report.
Each year, the department prepares a crime report under the FBI’s National Incident-Based Reporting System.
RCPD’s 66 officers responded to 16,265 calls for service in 2022, or 65% of all calls within Rockville’s city limits to city or county police or the county sheriff’s office.
Overall, between 2021 and 2022, crimes against people, which include homicides, assaults and sex offenses, increased 13%, from 530 offenses in 2021 to 599 offenses in 2022.
Crimes against property, including burglaries, robberies, thefts and vandalism, increased by 16.5% (from 1,585 to 1,847).
Crimes against society, including drug, prostitution and weapons offenses, decreased by 29.5%, from 158 to 126, including a 33.3% decline in drug/narcotic violations.
City police responded to 24 reports of heroin or opioid overdoses in 2022, a 31% decrease from 2021, and three reports of heroin or opioid possession, the same number as in 2021. There were three reports of opioid sales. Rockville’s Mayor and Council have prioritized awareness of the impact of opioid addiction and education about the opioid epidemic, launching the Rockville Goes Purple campaign in 2018. Learn more in the article on this page or at www.rockvillemd.gov/rockvillegoespurple.
The report also includes:
- A table showing arrests by race, gender and age, and detailing arrests and citations. In 2022, there were 266 arrests, including 36 for driving under the influence, 9,745 parking tickets issued, and 33 firearms seized.
- A table detailing a decrease in citations issued by the city’s speed cameras (from 39,194 in 2021 to 27,223 in 2022) and red-light cameras (from 8,714 to 8,115) programs.
- A report on complaints of officer misconduct and use-of-force incidents.
- A chart showing calls concerning animals (up 19% to 1,861) and animal bites (down 22% to 56).
- A list of Distinguished and Meritorious Service Citations and Lifesaving Awards for RCPD employees.
- Photos of how the department is engaging with the community through youth outreach, an annual toy drive, National Night Out, an open house, Boo Bash and National Drug Take Back Day.
Find the report, which will be included in an annual report published by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments this summer, at www.rockvillemd.gov/police.