Crime on the rise in Montgomery County

BETHESDA, Md. (FOX 5 DC) - Crime is on the rise in Montgomery County.

According to the latest report given to the county's public safety committee, several types of crime saw dramatic increases compared to last year.

Most notably – violent crime saw a 13.4% increase so far this year, plus officials say assaults, robberies, and sex offenses are all up.

Homicides, however, are actually down 36% compared to 2021, but gun violence continues to be a major problem.

Montgomery County attempts to address rise in teen violence

"One of the more sobering pieces of data was that a total of 918 guns were recovered by the police department from the beginning of this year through Sept. 15. And 148 of those were ghost guns. That's more than twice the ghost guns that were confiscated from calendar 2021," said Gabe Albornoz, Montgomery County Council President. "We all must remain vigilant and if we see something, say something and report it to law enforcement." 

Albornoz also talked about efforts to address staffing issues at the Montgomery County Police Department. He mentioned increasing pay for officers and enacting legislation which gives tax credits to first responders. 

Read the full Crime Statistics and Violent Crime Trends Update below: