The Rockville City Police Department hosted events throughout 2024 to engage with the community while continuing to provide a high level of service, interim Chief Jason L. West wrote in the department’s 2024 annual report that was released in March.
A steering wheel lock giveaway, annual gun buyback and community training on use of the overdose reversal drug Narcan provided community engagement opportunities.
Meanwhile, while other police departments nationwide struggle to recruit and retain sworn officers, RCPD is experiencing an increase in recruiting new officers and civilian staff. “Investing in our greatest asset, our staff, remains one of the top priorities of the department,” wrote West, who was appointed interim chief in November.
The department includes 73 sworn officers and 23 civilian staff members. It was reaccredited in 2024 by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, recognizing RCPD as among the top law enforcement agencies in the country.
Each year, the department prepares a crime report under the FBI’s National Incident-Based Reporting System.
“Overall, crime showed a moderate increase in 2024,” the report said. Crimes against people, which include homicides, assaults and sex offenses, increased 9.9%, from 454 offenses in 2023 to 499 offenses in 2024.
Crimes against property, including burglaries, robberies, thefts and vandalism, increased by 13.1% (from 1,863 to 2,107). Crimes against society, including drug, prostitution and weapons offenses, decreased by 16.3%, from 92 to 77.
RCPD responded to 26,047 calls — nearly 83% of the 31,397 calls for service in the city in 2024. The Montgomery County Police Department’s First District Station and the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office responded to 13%. Residents used the county Telephone Reporting Unit to report 982 non-emergency incidents, and a small number of calls were handled by neighboring municipal police departments.
The report provides statistics about arrests, officers assaulted, use-of-force incidents and the city’s speed camera program. It also highlights the officer and civilian staff member of the year, Rockville Public Safety Award honorees, several department divisions and services, community engagement efforts and officer recruitment. It will be included in an annual report published by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments this summer.
Read the report at www.rockvillemd.gov/police.