Crime & Safety

Violent Crime Increased in Essex in 2010

Spikes in aggravated assaults and burglaries fueled the increase even as overall crime in the precinct dropped 4.2 percent compared with 2009.

Violent crime in the Essex Precinct was up 11 percent in 2010 compared with 2009, even as crime throughout the entire county continues to decline.

According to statistics from the Baltimore County Police Department, robberies increased 23.2 percent in the Essex Precinct with 170 reported in 2010, compared with 138 in 2009. In addition, aggravated assaults increased 11.4 percent to 517 from 464 during that same span.

At the same time, reported rapes dropped 41.2 percent (17 in 2010 compared with 29 in 2009) while just two homicides were reported compared with five in 2009.

Find out what's happening in Essex-Middle Riverwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Among other crimes, burglaries increased 1 percent, with 521 reported in 2010 compared with 516 in 2009. Also, thefts dropped 1.6 percent (1,854 from 1884), motor vehicle thefts decreased 19.9 percent (205 from 256) and arson dropped 28.6 percent (25 from 35).

Essex Precinct Capt. Mike DiPaula said many of those crimes, especially the robberies, were chance encounters or involved incidents where the victim knew the suspect either as a friend or family member. He added that total crime for the Essex Precinct dropped 4.2 percent from 2009 to 2010.

Find out what's happening in Essex-Middle Riverwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

DiPaula added that the spike in robberies and assaults could also be linked , in which the police eventually made an .

The same is true for the slight increase in burglaries following a rash of in the area, where police captured a pair of men who were linked to 32 such cases last year.

“Essex is a safe community to live in for residents,” DiPaula said. “We’re out there hitting any hot spots of concern and are confident we are making a difference. I’m not one to mince words, so if I don’t mean it, I don’t say it.”

Overall, , according to county officials.

The announcement included decreases in eight major categories. Most of the decreases represented the lowest crime statistics in at least 20 years in each category. One category, burglaries, fell to its lowest levels since 1967, according to police.

The announcement comes about a month after County Executive Kevin Kamenetz, Baltimore County Police Chief Jim Johnson and others announced that homicides in the county decreased from 31 in 2009 to 20 last year—a drop of nearly 36 percent.

Not all of the news is good.

While the number of rapes reported in the county dropped by 17 percent, so did the arrest rate, which decreased by about 12 percent. In Cockeysville, the number of reported rapes increased from one in 2009 to 13 in 2010.

Use of guns and knives in aggravated assaults increased by 8.5 percent and 3.9 percent, respectively.

Overall, homicide has dropped 50 percent in Baltimore County since 2005.

In October, then-County Executive James T. Smith Jr. announced that homicides during the first six months of the 2010 .

The decreases of the past year are part of a four-year trend that has produced some of the lowest crime rates in more than three decades.

The decreases come during one of the most severe economic downturns since 1929. Most of the decreases represented the lowest crime statistics in each respective category in at least 20 years.

“In Baltimore County, when a crime is committed, citizens expect a prompt and professional response,” Johnson said. “With each year, the challenges to reduce and control crime become greater.

“The invention of new technologies, social media and new social problems create more challenges. Whether it involves juvenile crimes, crimes of violence, crimes against our most vulnerable populations or cyber crimes, the Baltimore County Police Department will continue to meet those challenges, keeping the citizens of Baltimore County safe.”


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.

More from Essex-Middle River