Crime Statistics

Published on: March 28, 2023

Overall Crime Fell in Maryland as Homicides Increased

Analyzing the yearly crime rates provides for quick talking points, but rarely provides enough data to make accurate conclusions about larger trends in crime. Therefore, a more effective way to measure the direction of a state, county or city is to measure trends by the decade. This can be a tedious process, but overall paints a better picture of where our communities stand. Yearly crime data compiled by the Governor’s Office of Crime Prevention is not officially released for a given year until about two years have passed. Data from 2020 was recently released, and after examining trends from 2011 through 2020 the major takeaway is that overall crime has dropped, but certain violent crimes have not followed suit.

Property crimes such as burglary have steadily declined, with overall numbers decreasing from roughly 30,000 cases in 2011 to less than 15,000 in 2020. Motor vehicle thefts have also decreased from about 16,000 cases in 2011 to about 10,500 in 2020. Motor vehicle theft cases have been steadily decreasing over the past several decades due to technological advances in cars, but a 33% decrease in 10 years is still significant. Overall, in 2011 there were a total of 114,871 reported theft cases in Maryland, and in 2020 there were 72,865. This decrease in property crimes cannot be ignored, and is hopefully a sign of better times ahead. On the other hand, there is still cause for concern about the number of violent offenses committed in Maryland each year.

In 2020 there were 573 homicide cases in Maryland, which is the highest number in almost 25 years when the state reported 588 homicides in 1996. 334 of these homicides were committed in Baltimore City, and 92% were committed with a firearm. Also, less than half of these homicides (47%) resulted in an arrest, which is a staggering percentage. There were significantly more reported rape case in 2020 than in 2011, and as a whole both the homicide and rape numbers seem to be steadily increasing over the last 5 years. The rape numbers may have increased due to greater awareness and a higher percentage of these cases being reported to law enforcement. Aggravated assault cases, including first degree assault by strangulation or assault with a firearm, have been decreasing slightly and robbery numbers are down throughout the state, but neither of these trends makes up for the increasing murder and rape numbers. What is significant is that 2020 saw the fewest incidents of reported violent crime in Maryland since the beginning of the record keeping in 1980. Part of this relatively low number in 2020 could be attributed to Covid and people staying at home, so it should be taken with a grain of salt, but the progress is undeniable.

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Published on: January 15, 2019

Baltimore City Crime Prevention Plan Announced

By Benjamin Herbst

The Governor of Maryland recently introduced a host of forthcoming law enforcement initiatives specifically aimed at reducing violent crime in Baltimore City. Baltimore’s violent crime rate has been trending in the wrong direction for years, and is a constant source of concern for residents, visitors and those who conduct regular business in the city. Putting all the embarrassing national news headlines aside, the bottom line is that people just don’t feel safe in Baltimore. While the Governor has shown discretion by not outwardly blaming the city’s leadership, it’s clear from his actions that he has no faith the local government can do what it takes to reverse this disturbing trend. The city’s leadership does not even appear to be directly involved with the creation or implementation of these new initiatives, which include the formation of violent crime joint operations center downtown.

The joint operations center will serve as home base for upwards of 200 new law enforcement officers from sixteen agencies and seven law enforcement task forces such as the FBI, DEA, ATF and the U.S. Marshals. The Baltimore Police and the State’s Attoney’s Office will also have a presence in the center, in addition to a special operations unit of the Maryland State Police. With all these new law enforcement officers pounding the pavement there will certainly be hundreds of new cases to prosecute, but if you think the Governor simply planned to hand all these cases over to the local prosecutor then think again. The Governor wants many of these cases to be handled in federal court, and is doing so by expanding the reach of Project Exile, a program where city gun crime offenders are prosecuted in federally. The feds are not footing the entire bill for the increased workload, as the Governor actually pledged state money for the sole purpose of hiring more federal prosecutors to prosecute violent crime in the city. Federal sentencing guidelines are harsher with respect to violent offenses and crimes involving firearms, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office is notorious for high conviction rates. A defendant is far more likely to serve significant prison time in the federal system due to mandatory sentences and no parole.

The governor also announced greater funding for victim and witness relocation programs, which will increase the likelihood that state and federal prosecutors will have their witnesses ready and available when it comes time for trial. Violent crime cases are routinely dismissed due to witness unavailability, and this has become a major issue in Baltimore City for state and federal prosecutors alike. Another announcement from last week was the introduction of the Repeat Firearms Offenders Act of 2019, which will double the minimum mandatory prison sentence from 5 years to 10 for those convicted of felon in possession of a firearm. This law was modified a few years ago to make the mandatory sentence discretionary if the disqualifying crime and any punishment (including probation) ended more than 5 years prior to the new incident date. The effectiveness of mandatory minimum sentences is arguable, but politicians love them so they’re here to stay.

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Published on: May 23, 2018

Maryland Reports Largest Prison Population Decline

By Benjamin Herbst

The national prison population continues to decline, and for the first time in almost fifteen years the total number of inmates dipped below 1.5 million. Last year Maryland lead the entire nation with a dramatic 10 percent reduction in prisoners, which brought the state inmate population down almost 2 thousand to a total of around 18 thousand. While the simplest explanation for the decline is the passage of the Justice Reinvestment Act, a closer look reveals a variety of factors at play.

The Justice Reinvestment Act or JRA was a groundbreaking and massive piece of legislation that sought to reduce money and manpower dedicated to jailing defendants, and to divert these resources to treating and rehabilitating convicted defendants. The JRA eliminated harsh mandatory sentences for repeat drug offenders convicted of non-violent offenses such as possession with intent to distribute narcotics. The maximum penalty for possession of CDS not marijuana was also lowered to one year, which eliminated the possibility of a prison sentence for drug possession. While most state correctional inmates are serving the original sentence handed down by the judge, a large portion are doing time for violating their probation. Lawmakers became aware that the sentences handed down for probation violations were getting out of control, and used the JRA to do something about it.

Each day dozens of defendants plea out to large suspended sentences in order to be released from jail, and many end up back in court on a violation. Some of these violations are extremely minor, and could be avoided by more patient probation officers. In the past defendants faced years in prison for extremely minor violations, but since the JRA went into effect there are now limits on the sentences handed down for these so called technical violations. The limits are not binding on the judge, but are certainly persuasive when it comes to sentencing a probationer for a positive drug test, failing to complete treatment or not paying restitution.

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Published on: January 5, 2017

Arrests Down, Shootings and Overdoses Up In Baltimore

By Benjamin Herbst

Baltimore Police made fewer arrests in 2016 than in 2015 and homicide numbers were slightly lower, but think twice before assuming the city was a safer place last year. The reality is that despite a 7 percent decrease in total arrests and 26 fewer murders, Baltimore was actually more dangerous in 2016 than any year in recent memory. Last year saw a staggering number of shootings in a city with a steadily declining population. All told the police department reported 936 shootings at year’s end, a number that came in just 60 shy of New York City’s number of shootings. The catch being that NYC has 14 times the population of Baltimore.

About 1 out of every three shootings ended up being deadly, which kept the homicide number above 300 for the second year in a row and placed Baltimore among the most deadly cities in America for gun violence in 2015. Another statistic to ponder is the 39 percent clearance (case closed by arrest) rate for Baltimore murders. The 39 percent clearance rate is one of the lowest in the country, but thankfully is up from 31 percent in 2015. 86 percent of people shot last year ended up dying from their injuries. This number appears to be higher than most other urban areas in the country due to the popularity of larger caliber firearms, and the frightening trend of Baltimore shooters using more bullets and firing their weapons from closer range. Over half of the deadly shootings in 2016 occurred on city streets and public places such as parks, which has devastating consequences for many innocent bystanders. Just over 10 percent of homicide victims were killed in their cars and a similar number were in their homes. Most victims were males between the ages of 18 and 24.

In addition to shootings skyrocketing, drug overdoses are approaching historic levels. This is a trend throughout most of Maryland, but Baltimore is the epicenter. Full year-end statistics for 2016 drug overdoses are not available yet, but as of October 1 there were 481 overdoses compared to 291 for the first 9 months of 2015. Heroin is responsible for a large percentage of these deadly overdoses, though the infusion of fentanyl on the streets may be playing an increased role as well. It is estimated that over 20,000 people in Baltimore use heroin, which is over 3 percent of the population. Other areas within Maryland that saw large increases in drug overdoses include Anne Arundel County, Baltimore County, Harford County and Howard County. As we mentioned in a previous post, health and law enforcement officials in less populated areas such as Bel Air face the same concerns as those in the city. More heroin users and an influx of powerful new drugs such as fentanyl will continue to rock the smaller communities and urban areas alike. The Blog will continue to follow the crime and drug overdose statistics from 2016 as new data is made public, and we may post a follow up article in the near future so stay tuned.

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Published on: September 8, 2016

State Police Arrest Dozens Over Holiday Weekend

By Benjamin Herbst

Holiday weekends motivate thousands to take to the highways to vacation or visit with friends and family. And in Maryland when the weather is warm, a large majority of these motorists travel between the Baltimore and D.C. metro areas and the Eastern Shore. Some stop in the smaller cities and towns along the way, but most end up in Ocean City or the Delaware beaches. Unfortunately there’s only one major thoroughfare between these two destinations, and the traffic can be a nightmare if you leave at the wrong time. Using nightmare to describe traffic might be a figure of speech, as Route 50 gridlock has become just part of the beachgoer experience. The real nightmares out on the highways are the serious car, motorcycle and truck accidents that injure or even claim the lives of those in search of a little sun and sand before heading back to work. Each year the Maryland State Police has made it a priority to do everything in their power to mitigate the increased risk of serious auto accidents that accompany the spring and summer holidays, and this past Labor Day weekend was no different.

In a recent press release State Police took credit for reducing crashes and keeping the public safe, thanks to various initiatives to post more troopers along the holiday driving routes. Initiatives such as Operation Showboat sent troopers posted in the Eastern Shore and the southern part of the state to specifically patrol the Route 50 stretch between the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Ocean City. These troopers were targeting intoxicated drivers and anyone appearing to be operating in an unsafe manner. All told, MSP reported their troopers conducted over 9,000 traffic stops over the holiday week, and issued over 6,000 citations. There were 119 drunk driving arrests, including 10 arrested over the weekend by the much-publicized S.P.I.D.R.E team, a state police task force dedicated solely toward DUI and DWI enforcement. This task force took to the highways of Montgomery County, which has often been labeled as a drunk driving hotbed by law enforcement.

In addition to the thousands of citations and the 100 plus DUI arrests, the Labor Day traffic stops also produced 64 arrests unrelated to impaired driving. These unfortunate holiday motorists were probably pulled over for some minor traffic infraction (or nothing at all) and then arrested after a search yielded drugs or other contraband such as firearms. Police have made it a common practice to conduct traffic stops as a pretext to some other sort of investigation, and these stops have been ruled constitutional by the Supreme Court as long as there was reasonable suspicion to conduct the traffic stop in the first place. Along with the 64 arrests for new crimes, troopers also arrested 75 people who had outstanding arrest warrants. Law enforcement officers that locate wanted individuals do not even need probable cause to stop or detain, as the courts have held that you essentially lose many of your Fourth Amendment rights if you have a valid arrest warrant. This is true even if the arrest warrant was issued in error or never issued at all, as the only factor that matters is whether the officer reasonably believed you had a valid arrest warrant at the time of the seizure. Moral of this story is that if you have an arrest warrant or are traveling with a currently illegal substance such as marijuana, avoiding the main beach routes over the holidays might be in your best interest.

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Published on: June 15, 2016

Narcotic Overdoses Spike In 2015

By Benjamin Herbst

The Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene recently released its report on drug and alcohol related intoxication deaths for 2015, and the data shows multiple alarming trends. Last year was the deadliest year on record with regard to state drug and alcohol overdoses. A total of 1,259 people succumbed to high levels of intoxication in 2015, which represents a 20 percent increase from 2014 and the fifth year in a row that the number has increased. One of the most alarming trends is the high number of fentanyl related deaths that are quickly becoming a major concern across the country. Fentanyl is a powerful narcotic that became popular for treating severe localized pain through adhesive patches that are placed directly on the skin. These patches are slow acting and provide long-lasting pain relief without an intense narcotic effect. Recreational drug users have little use for the patches as intended, but have found numerous ways to extract the narcotic and combine it with other drugs such as heroin. Illicit use of fentanyl produces an intense high that can be many times more powerful than heroin, and often times more deadly. From 2007 to 2012 there were about 30 fentanyl related overdoses a year in Maryland, but the last three years have seen a dramatic increase. In 2013 and 2014 there were 58 and 186, and last year there were a shocking 340 fentanyl related deaths in the state.

Politicians and other public officials have placed more emphasis than ever on combating the heroin epidemic, and the data supports their cause. Heroin related overdose deaths once again rose dramatically in 2015, with 748 cases reported statewide. This is more than double the average number of overdoses from 2007 to 2012. In contrast, the number of prescription opioid overdose deaths from drugs such as oxycodone has remained relatively the same since 2007, especially when factoring in population increases. The same can be said for cocaine related deaths, which were actually lower last year than in 2007. Benzodiazepine overdoses from drugs such as alprazolam (Xanax) and diazepam (Valium) have risen steadily over the last 8 years, but the 91 deaths in 2015 pale in comparison to heroin and fentanyl.

Readers of the DHMH report will notice that marijuana is nowhere to be seen in any of the overdose data, yet alcohol is high up on the list of killers. Alcohol is so ingrained in our country’s culture that it continually receives a pass despite its deadly consequences. There were 309 alcohol related overdose deaths last year in Maryland, and thousands more injuries, incidents of violence, and auto accidents that were caused by alcohol intoxication. Alcohol is available on every street corner yet it’s taking our state years to formulate highly restrictive regulations on where one can grow and sell medical marijuana. While this is a bit of a tangent, it continues to baffle the Blog.

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Published on: May 1, 2016

Baltimore And D.C. Causing Increased National Murder Rate

By Benjamin Herbst

During the early and mid nineties violent crime within the city limits of Baltimore and Washington reached unprecedented critical levels. In 1990 there were 474 murders in D.C., which led to the capital city taking on the notorious title of our nation’s murder capital as well. One year later a record 479 homicides were documented. Thirty miles north Baltimore was experiencing the same type of violent crime spike, with a record 353 murders taking place in 1993. Those who have studied crime in the early 90’s have often attributed the murder spike to the proliferation of crack cocaine as a big business street drug. With the lucrative business came turf wars between well-funded and well-armed gangs, who would kill for much less than preserving their profitable racket.

As law enforcement became more sophisticated and local governments began focusing on cracking down on the crack epidemic, these two troubled cities witnessed a dramatic decrease in their murder rates. By 2011 there were 196 murders in Baltimore, and in 2012 there were 92 total murders in Washington, which was the lowest total since the early 1960’s. These numbers, although nothing to be proud of, have remained fairly consistent over the past decade until last year, when troubling data came from both cities. Baltimore reported a staggering 344 homicides in 2015, which factoring in the city’s population decrease actually translated into a higher per capita murder rate than the record year of 1993. This was a 63 percent increase from 2014, and Washington wasn’t much better after reporting a 51 percent jump in homicides from 2014 to 2015. These increases were so significant that they almost single handedly caused the national murder rate to spike 13.3 percent last year. Chicago is also partially responsible, but their rate increased by a much lower 13 percent.

It is almost impossible to pinpoint an exact cause for the rise in murders and other violent crimes. In Baltimore though at least some of the spike can be attributed to the unsettled atmosphere following the spring riots, which also led to some western district police precincts decreasing their normal crime fighting tactics and deliberately becoming less of a presence. The spike in Washington is more of an enigma, though the some of the same factors could have contributed to the violence in D.C. Urban police officers in the entire country were undoubtedly hesitant to be proactive while on duty last spring and summer, as the whole world was watching with a microscope.

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Published on: June 5, 2015

Stolen Drugs Causing Baltimore Crime Spike

By Benjamin Herbst

News trucks and National Guard Humvees are no longer lining the streets of Baltimore, but the city is still experiencing elevated crime levels and widespread violence following riots that generated worldwide attention. Forty-two people were murdered within city limits last month, the highest monthly total in over 40 years, and millions of dollars worth of narcotics have fallen into the hands of drug dealers in the last few weeks. The murder rate is attributed by some as a direct result of a lower police presence in high crime areas, exactly the opposite of what is needed. Police in the tensest areas such as the western district of Baltimore City have allegedly shifted their priority to self-preservation rather than protecting the public. According to an anonymous supervising officer who was interviewed on CNN, cops in the western district are basically ignoring orders from the police leadership to vigorously patrol, and are just simply responding to 911 calls. This passive approach is likely causing a sense of lawlessness in certain areas, and in turn wrongdoers are becoming bolder. Although the police commissioner has no plans to step down, there is growing discontent about the department’s leadership going forward. One city councilman has publically called for a new police commissioner, stating that he knows rank and file officers have lost confidence and respect for their commander. This environment has officer moral and motivation at an all time low, and city residents are suffering the consequences.
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Published on: March 9, 2015

Feds Claim Less Emphasis On Drug Cases In 2014

By Benjamin Herbst

Almost 30 years ago the federal government took its war on drugs to new heights by proclaiming a zero tolerance policy. All drug crimes from trafficking to possession were to fall under this new initiative, and billions of dollars were spent on incarcerating offenders. Along with the fancy tag names and plentiful resources came new legislation that kept even non-violent, first time drug offenders in jail for years. Minimum mandatory prison sentences were established, and became a major source of power for the justice department, and subsequently for federal and state prosecutors. A minimum mandatory sentence requires a judge to hand down a specific prison sentence upon a finding of guilt, either by a plea or a guilty verdict at trial. Many of these sentences exclude a defendant from parole eligibility and even gain time for good behavior. While the stated goal of these sentences was to deter drug crimes, all they really did was cause severe overcrowding of prisons across the country. Not to mention creating an environment where non-violent drug offenders were serving more time than armed robbers.
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Published on: January 19, 2015

Baltimore Police Adjust Officer Schedules To Boost Efficiency

By Benjamin Herbst

Years of rigid officer schedules and mandatory five-day workweeks have hindered the Baltimore City Police Department’s ability to fight crime in the most effective way possible. But starting this past week the department has implemented a dramatically modified system to determine when and where its officers will patrol the streets. The major changes include the adoption of a four-day workweek with 10-hour days, and the abolishment of a provision that once required the same number of cops to be on duty during all shifts throughout the week, regardless of demand for their services. The city and the police union struck a deal with these two modifications plus a 13 percent raise for all officers, which the city declares it will offset by eliminating over 200 vacant positions. Officials are confident that their new system will cut costs and reduce crime; a claim they say is backed by data from a test run of the new system just last year.
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