Crimes Against People and Property Continue Downward Trend
The Rockville City Police Department’s annual report offers analysis and statistics not provided in previous reports, and details a 9.1 percent overall increase in crime in 2016 that was due largely to a spike in auto thefts and several Part II crimes.
The year-over-year increase is in contrast to a 35.5 percent decrease in crimes against people and property – so-called Part I crimes – between 2005 and 2016.
The report, which will be included in an annual report published by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments each summer, includes a new section focused on transparency that provides information about use-of-force incidents and complaint cases. Also new is a summary of warrants served, guns seized and other data contained in internal affairs reports.
RCPD’s 59 officers responded to 23,218 calls for service in 2016, or three out of every four calls to city or county police.
Crime data is listed as Part I or Part II offenses. Part I crimes are crimes against people (murder, rape, robbery, assault) or property (burglary, larceny, theft and arson). Part II crimes include simple assault, curfew offenses, loitering, embezzlement, forgery and counterfeiting, disorderly conduct, driving under the influence, drug and alcohol offenses, fraud, gambling, vandalism, and weapons offenses.
From 2015 to 2016, reports of Part I offenses decreased by 4.7 percent, while Part II crimes increased by 21.7 percent. The largest increase was a 48.5 percent spike in auto thefts, which followed a dramatic decrease in auto thefts in 2015. The city saw decreases in aggravated assaults, robberies, burglaries, and larcenies.
The number of reported rapes increased by one, to 24. Aggravated assaults decreased from 35 to 29. There were two homicides. In both cases the suspects have been arrested and charged.
Read the full report and learn more about the department at www.rockvillemd.gov/police.