Smith Announces Crime Rate Down Across the County  
2009 Crime Statistics are Released for First Six Months

Towson, Md. (September 22, 2009) — Today, Baltimore County Executive Jim Smith held a press conference to announce the decline in crime across Baltimore County. With Baltimore County Police Chief Jim Johnson and State's Attorney Scott Shellenberger by his side, Smith proclaimed impressive drops in serious crimes, comparing the 2009 statistics to the first six-month stats of 2008.            

Crime Rate Declines

When compared to the first six months of 2008, seven of the eight major crime categories have declined this year - rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson. As of the end of June 2009, violent crime decreased by 6.2 percent and total crime in Baltimore County decreased by 6.6 percent.

"These would be impressive numbers in any circumstance, but they are particularly gratifying during the current recession," said Smith. "In a time when our economy is being devastated in ways unseen since the Great Depression and many people find themselves in desperate straits, our Police Department has continued its steady progress in reducing crime to record lows."

Dedicated Staff

Baltimore County Police Chief Johnson said, "This reduction in crime is the result of solid police work by the sworn members and the professional staff of this agency. They work together, and in partnership with our residents to keep Baltimore County a safe place in which to live and do business. New technology has also been a tremendous asset in our crime fighting. It helps us find and analyze evidence, and helps point us to suspects. Work that used to take hours or days can now be done in minutes. Finding a suspect is no longer like finding a needle in a haystack. Technology tells us where to look."

"The decrease in crime in Baltimore County is directly related to the quality cases the Baltimore County Police Department presents to my office every day," said Shellenberger.

"Good police work leads to solid convictions which leads to lengthy sentences that keep violent criminals off the street so they cannot re-offend." 

Clearance Rates

The County's clearance rates (meaning cases solved) are well ahead of the national averages. Comparing national figures for all of 2008 vs. Baltimore County for the first half of 2009 exhibit the overall clearance rate in the County:

• Violent crime clearance rate - national 45.1 percent vs. Baltimore County 75.9 percent
• Property crime - 17.4 percent nationwide vs. 33.6 percent Baltimore County.

Text of Baltimore County Executive Jim Smith's remarks:

It is a pleasure to join all of you to announce Baltimore County's crime statistics for the first six months of 2009.

For generations, the professionalism and dedication of our Baltimore County Police Department have been the foundation of our communities' success. Today, I am pleased to announce that thanks to their hard work, that foundation is even stronger because crime has continued to decrease in 2009.

Crime Rate Declines

When compared to the first six months of 2008, when crime was also down, seven of the eight major crime categories have declined this year - Rape, Robbery, Aggravated Assault, Burglary, Theft, Motor Vehicle Theft, and Arson. As of the end of June 2009, violent crime decreased by 6.2 percent and total crime in Baltimore County was down 6.6 percent.

These would be impressive numbers in any circumstance, but they are particularly gratifying during the current recession. In a time when our economy is being devastated in ways unseen since the Great Depression and many people find themselves in desperate straits, our Police Department has continued its steady progress in reducing crime to record lows.

Clearance Rate High

And equally important, our Police have been able to maintain some of the highest clearance rates in the nation, rates that are well above the FBI's national average. As of the end of June of this year, our officers achieved a 75.9 percent clearance rate for violent crimes, which is 30.8 percent higher than the national clearance rate, as of the end of 2008. This includes an 88.9 percent clearance rate for murder investigations, a full 25 percent above the national average. And thanks to the close collaboration with State's Attorney Scott Shellenberger and his staff, criminals are prosecuted and taken off the streets as they deserve. Let me be clear what these statistics mean. Not only is crime on the decline in Baltimore County, but also everyone should know that if you commit a crime here, you will be caught, you will be prosecuted, and you will go to jail.

Provides Quality of Life

These statistics are impressive and reflect the talent and work ethic of our Police Department. But to understand what these numbers really mean, you need only walk through our neighborhoods and see residents enjoying their community, families eating at new restaurants in our historic downtowns, shopping locally, and neighbors gathering at their local libraries. The fact is that our County communities are flourishing because everyone who lives, works, or shops in their neighborhood is confident that they are safe, thanks to the outstanding efforts of our Baltimore County Police Department, whose hard work, professionalism, and consistent results have earned the trust and the respect of our community. 

And it is because the people in our communities trust our police, and work with them as partners that our neighborhoods will continue to prosper. For it is that community confidence and partnership that are the keys to maintaining Baltimore County's fight against crime.

Thank You

To the members of our Baltimore County Police Department, thank you for your outstanding work. You have made our County a better, safer place to live, and these statistics are proof of your success.

Now, it is my pleasure to introduce a man who has dedicated nearly his entire adult life to the people of Baltimore County. Entering our Police Department as a cadet, many years ago, Jim Johnson's work ethic and commitment to public safety drove his rise through the ranks to become Police Chief two years ago. He is not only an outstanding police chief, but an excellent role model to all the officers who serve with him.