Carjackings, homicides drop; overall crime in county decreases 7% in 2024

Elrich touts positive impact of drone technology, license plate readers, ‘aggressive use of cameras’

January 2, 2025 9:01 a.m.

Overall crime in Montgomery County decreased by 7% in 2024, with the number of carjackings and homicides showing the biggest drops, according to statistics touted this week by County Executive Marc Elrich.

Carjackings declined by 43% while the number of homicides dropped to 19 in 2024 from a total of 29 in 2023, Elrich noted Tuesday while discussing preliminary crime statistics for the year during a press briefing with county police officials. In addition, property crime dropped 6%, motor vehicle thefts decreased by 15% and shootings were down by 19%.

Police officials and Elrich did not provide the total number of incidents in 2024 for specific crime categories. According to a March County Council memorandum, in 2023, the county saw increases in reports of the following crimes:

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  • Auto thefts: 131.1% (1,401 to 3,238)
  • Homicides: 31.8% (22 to 29)
  • Carjackings: 28.6% (77 to 99)
  • Non-fatal shootings: 28% (182 to 233)

Elrich said he was pleased about the drop in overall crime, but noted there is still work to be done.

“The numbers are good, but, you know, I’m not a big fan of declaring victory,” he said. “The numbers are still too high. Nineteen is still too many homicides. There’s still too many carjackings. So we’ve got work to do.”

Elrich attributed the improved statistics to technology deployed by the police department during 2024 including the use of drones, license plate readers and “aggressive use of cameras in hot spot areas.”

“They’re sending a signal that [Montgomery County is] not an easy mark,” Elrich said. “The county is serious about protecting its citizens.”

Police Lt. Sunyoung Kim of the department’s Major Crimes Division noted the statistics were preliminary numbers for 2024, but said they indicate that crime decreased in “many categories” when compared to 2023’s numbers.

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Kim also highlighted another positive statistic for 2024: the closure rate for homicide cases in the county was 84%.

“For two years in a row we have maintained an above 80% closure rate, which is well above the national average reported by the [U.S. Department of Justice],” Kim said.

Kim also noted the number of carjackings in the county in 2024 was the lowest in the last four years.

“In 2021, we saw a three-year trend of increasing in carjacking incidents and this year is the first year we have seen a reduction and so far, 2024 numbers are lower than 2021,” Kim said.

Technology advancements including the license plate readers as well as the department’s auto crimes detectives making an effort to target repeat offenders have likely contributed to the decline in carjackings, Kim said.

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In November 2023, 13 Montgomery County Public Schools students were arrested for carjackings and auto thefts. The arrests followed an incident in which police tracked down two vehicles after determining they were stolen in armed carjackings.

One vehicle, containing Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School students, crashed after a pursuit by police. A short time later, another vehicle was found by police near B-CC, and after several suspects fled, the school went on lockdown while officers searched for them.

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