Earlier this week, the Montgomery County Council’s Public Safety Commission received an update on 2023 crime trends from the Montgomery County Police Department.
According to the report, in 2023, overall crime increased for the third year in a row, with the major increases coming from automobile related incidents.
• Crimes against persons increased 6.6% and crimes against property increased 10.9%.
• Auto thefts spiked by 131.1%, fueled by Hyundai and Kia thefts.
• Carjackings rose by 28.6%.
• Crimes against society, which include drug offenses, fell by 13.8%.
• Rape and other sex offenses dropped by 9%
• Firearms continue to play a significant role in violent crime.
In his weekly message, County Executive Marc Elrich stated that the county is making it a priority to add more police officers on the street. Steps to address this issue include:
- Taking uniformed officers out of desk jobs and putting them on patrol.
- Increased pay for police officers to make their salaries competitive in the region.
- Providing a $20,000 signing bonus to attract more candidates to Montgomery County.
- Plan to drop the college degree requirement and integrate education requirements into training.
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