Harford County posted the second best crime rate in the state according to statistics released last week by the Sheriff’s Office, which show all key types of both violent crimes and property crimes falling 14 percent last year.
The numbers are based on the Maryland Uniform Crime Reports program, which separate incidents into two groups. The most serious crimes, known as Part I or “index” crimes, are further divided into “violent crimes” of murder, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault, and “property crimes” of breaking and entering, larceny theft, and motor vehicle theft. Together with instances of less serious Part II crimes, the reports determine the county’s overall crime rate.
That rate was 1,858.8 per 100,000 people in 2011, down 14 percent from 2,173.8 the year before. Robberies and aggravated assaults fell 24.5 percent and 23.3 percent respectively, while incidents of rape fell 38.1 percent and murders fell 16.7 percent from 2010. Breaking and entering, larceny, and motor vehicle theft incidents all decreased, down 12.4, 12.2, and 12.3 percent respectively.
Harford’s crime rate of 1,858.8 per 100,000 population was well below the statewide crime rate of 3,354.6. Among all Maryland counties, Harford ranked second, behind only Carroll County. Baltimore City again finished last, while Baltimore County ranked 16th and Cecil County ranked 20th.
The county saw five murders last year, one fewer than in 2010, and reports of rape decreased to 39 from 63 in 2010. Robberies fell for a fourth straight year, to 148 from 196 a year earlier, while aggravated assaults fell to 451 from 588.
Among property crimes, reports of breaking and entering last year dropped to 779 from 889 in 2010; incidents of larceny-theft were down to 2,965 from 3,377 a year earlier; and motor vehicle thefts fell for a fourth straight year to 207 from 236.
Numbers are numbers and stats can be manipulated ! If you want to know what the true crime numbers are just ask Deputies, Officers and Troopers out working the street if the are handling fewer calls for service and you will get the truth about crime stats!!!
Smells like BS to me.
Feel-good numbers and funny-money-facts so our residents can live in total ignorance and pretend that nothing is wrong in Pleastantville, Harford County.
Figures can lie and liars can figure and it’s sad to say but I’ve been conditioned not to always believe what those in authority tell me. However maybe that’s why the new wing of the Detention Center we all paid to have built hasn’t be used yet?
Crime is down? Maybe they only count convictions.Do juveniles count? Why do we need a new detention center wing?
Perhaps we can believe there really is hope for all the good people marooned in Edgewood.The humble retirees in their last home.The single parents and families in the only home they can afford.People just too stubborn to be forced to move by the presence of thuggery and ignorance.Lack of means should not be a sentence to a lower quality of life.Unfortunately,for anyone living in the problem areas of Edgewood,this has been the case.Good people live here because they have to not because they choose to.Law enforcement is making solid progress in 21040 but what about the vision of the county leadership?Any programs to help young people stay off the street and out of gangs?Sorry,but NO is the answer.The best money spent on social programs in Edgewood as far as the county government is concerned is NONE.Thank God for the Churches who press on with the good work of outreach every day.
you guys are stupid, the county is safe enough. go to baltimore or pg and then come back here and say it isnt safe.
the more rural counties have smaller populations so the crime rates are higher
But we have our own Little Baltimore on Rt 40…
Smaller populations don’t imply lower crime rates. The crime rate is the number of crimes divided by the number of people.
County A = 1,000 crimes / 100,000 population = 1% crime rate
County B = 500 crimes / 5,000 population = 10% crime rate
(Hit submit before finishing.) Or, going the other way:
County A = 10,000 crimes / 100,000 population = 10% crime rate
County B = 50 crimes / 5,000 population = 1% crime rate
I second that. I’m a Harford County transplant out of Anne Arundel County. I lived in a poor section of Glen Burnie, intentionally so I could save every nickel to move my son up here. The crime was horrible – I was broken into, drunks and drug-addicts were found on my patios chairs and sleeping it off in the apartment stairwell and my car was keyed. The Anne Arundel County police were always visiting my apartment to serve the previous tenant. It was horrible and kept getting worse. I’ve been here 10 years and (cross-fingers) have never had any of those things happen. The worst I’ve seen is teenagers smoking cigarettes in the open space behind my house – I see no evil and hear no evil and they leave me alone. There is crime everywhere; it just depends on how saturated the area is with it. Harford County isn’t immune, it’s just a good deal less per population than other areas of the state.
To the folks who are complaining about the numbers and saying that they are fixed, etc., – I hope you can still say that when your insurance rates drop b/c they will.
Cheers.
Great work of the Sheriff Jessee Bane and the valiant deputies who serve in his command.
The deputies sure do make Bane look good. Too bad it isn’t reciprocated.
The troops serve as the commanders do their job. I would say that Sheriff Bane is doing a wonderful job.
I would say Sheriff Bane is doing a wonderful job taking credit for what his deputies do.
Hear, Hear, …. Bane has not worked the road for over 34 years. It is those few truly dedicated Deputies who strive on to make it safer. God Bless them as well as the Troopers and Municipal Officers in this county. Stay safe, and please keep up the fantastic work amidst the distractions of the unfit Sheriff….
God Bless you Law Enforcement Heros…
It is amusing how Bane gets blamed for everything negative and no praise when good things happen. It seems strange to me.
What good things have taken place?
Yes, Segenti, I agree. All I ever see on criminal stories is how bad Bane is. We hear from a bunch of whiney people who make claims of all sorts against Bane. Anything a staff member does wrong is Bane’s fault, or else he didn’t do enough to stop it. Eventually, it is going to become apparent that Gahler or other candidates are stopping at nothing to get elected and are smearing the reputation of a good man.
Oh Please, give us a break!!! Bane is unfit for the position, has no control of his command staff, and hires some really poor deputies. As the head of the department he is responsible for all the events that happen “Under his Watch.” Just look back at how he dragged Sheriff Mele down as his number 2 man years ago. He’s not an administrator. He might be a “nice” man , but he needs to go!!1 Do the right thing, resign and have an interim Sheriff assigned by the Governor. Short of a homicide, I’m sure the Sheriff wouldn’t recognize a crime in progress if it hit him in the face. Then he would give the thug a hug and tell everyone it will be ok….. And how can a man take all the sound bites and press time when the members of a joint task force do all the work? Starred eyed politician with unreal self arrogance seems to fit his bill snugly…..
God Bless us that we get a new and decent Sheriff to run our department soon…………..Wake up people !!!!!!!
God’s Blessing to us All
knowthetruth,
You say “Oh Please, give us a break!!! Who is the “us” in your sentence?
It would be the true hard working honest Deputies and civilians within this department, as well as the misinformed public, who don’t ” Know the truth” and the real truth about issues involing the HCSO.
God’s Peace to you !!
how come knowthetruth and Marc Eaton answer for each other? A mistake, perhaps.
And one other tidbit Mr Bilco, if there was a homicide in front of him, he would undertake the most ridiculous actions and give inappropriate orders that would impede the investigation and ruin the integrity of the crime scene. Ask him about it, I’m sure he’ll remember a night in Joppa years ago…..
God Bless You my misguided friend…
And then Bane gets rid of the evidence collection corporal because she pointed out to him that he tainted the investigation. That’s when he was also driving around in his personal vehicle to crime scenes. He just doesn’t have a clue what he is doing.
Yes he did, Bless you, and only if the general public knew all the shenanigans he has pulled off, as well as the political payoffs to the Union leaders and so forth… it would shock their conscious to no end..
Bless you
knowthetruth, I am not trying to be confrontational. Could you tell me how you know things about Bane that everyone else needs to know. I think your explanation could be good for getting me to see your side of the coin.
knowthetruth, I didn’t realize that you were so religious. Do you attend Mountain Christian Church?
Bryan,
Thank you for your reply. I am a Christian, and sorry but my place of Worship is not for display on this forum. It is a personal matter and is not relevant to any postings and discussions here.
Have a Peaceful Day !
BBC, I asked Knowthetruth this same question. Your answer could help us all see a side of Bane that you mention. How do you know the information that you claim?
Ask Mark Eaton
I talk to the people who still work there. They know I will never give their names so they are safe. Anyone can contact me, marc0189@verizon.net.
@Billco,
Without divulging my true identity, I can assure you as a true Christian that I have been involved with the Sheriff’s Office and other local jurisdictions for several decades and continue today as well. I am not hesitant to reveal my concerns of the retaliatory actions initiated and undertaken upon those individuals who should happen to disagree with this administration as well as the other administrations in the past, who have done so as well. Each administration raised from within the ranks has historically been the same way, sometimes worse than the their predecessor in this fashion. Added to this one is the lack of leadership, petty underhanded political payoffs and the mere fact of lack of true policing knowledge. I have a family to support and really don’t wish to face the wrath of the Bane Administration and jeopardize my current assignment or employment all together. Hope this works for you. And all I say, like I have stated as a Christian, is the truth. I may not be perfect, but I can look at myself in the mirror ach morning.
God’s Peace to you !!
If Bane would keep a thief and several liars employed, why wouldn’t he spin some numbers to? If he would have checks written out of a select account to pay for fingerprinting and back ground checks then why would he not do fuzzy math. Bane and his Major have a policy, do as we say not as we do. This should replace the current mission statement.
If you want to be a winner in the Bane administration you will need to be a big donor, or one of his head hunters. If you choose to have integrity and stand up against the Bane machine you will find yourself with an IA number, transfer, or being harassed by his Major. If you should get sick and not be one of Bane’s pets you will find yourself without a job. Your a disgrace L J Bane.
BBC, did you really say ask Marc Eaton. I asked you and makes me feel that you don’t really know factually about Bane. I hope knowthetruth comes through or I am really going to doubt the sincerety of these earlier posts.
Yes, I did say to ask Marc Eaton. He speaks on behalf of those who cannot.
BBC, you lost your credibility with me. When you cannot cite how you know these facts and tell us to talk to Marc Eaton, that tells me that you don’t know what you are talking about.
BBC, you are always on this site. Why, suddenly, can you tell us all how you know these things? That really doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. I am writing off anything you say about Bane until you tell more.
knowthetruth, I am awaiting for your answer also. BBC failed as a campaigner who wants to get Gahler elected.
I post my email but only the Sheriff’s Office people email me. You want to know specifics email me.
As far as the credibility issue goes, I have not endorsed nor spoke of any specific person or candidate for the office other than removing the current Sheriff to alleviate the massive amount of corruption and integrity violations occurring on a frequent basis. Mr. Eaton had a honorable career in the HCSO until circumstances, most beyond his control dictated a separation from the department. Mr. Eaton “ shoots from the hip”, (sorry for the pun) and as a result instills worry in the people in which he reveals information about. Yes he speaks for those who are in the same vessel as I.
God’s Peace to you.
@Billco,
Without divulging my true identity, I can assure you as a true Christian that I have been involved with the Sheriff’s Office and other local jurisdictions for several decades and continue today as well. I am not hesitant to reveal my concerns of the retaliatory actions initiated and undertaken upon those individuals who should happen to disagree with this administration as well as the other administrations in the past, who have done so as well. Each administration raised from within the ranks has historically been the same way, sometimes worse than the their predecessor in this fashion. Added to this one is the lack of leadership, petty underhanded political payoffs and the mere fact of lack of true policing knowledge. I have a family to support and really don’t wish to face the wrath of the Bane Administration and jeopardize my current assignment or employment all together. Hope this works for you. And all I say, like I have stated as a Christian, is the truth. I may not be perfect, but I can look at myself in the mirror ach morning.
God’s Peace to you !!
See above Sir, already responded…
Have a Blessed Day….
BBC and knowthetruth, I am beginning to feel that you are Marc Eaton are the same. What you say doesn’t add up to me.
Bryan, that has been tried before. Sorry to inform you but I use to post as RetiredCop. Now I use my name. I will not use fake names on here, believe what you want. I have posted my email address for anyone to ask me questions. No one has, you all don’t want to know specifics. You have made you minds up on supporting Bane no matter what he has done or will do. Search my name of here and you can find out everything I have posted about Bane and his crew. If you have questions email me.
Bryan,
That is interesting that you think such thoughts. The only thing is Marc is Marc, I am not Marc and neither is BBC. I have no idea who BBC is, and I know and worked with Marc for years at the Sheriff’s Office. It isn’t a coincidence that we share the same opinions of the issues and corruption at the Sheriff’s Office, as we both experienced them, as I still do.
Additionally, I don’t agree with all the statements Marc presents here, but in the grand scheme of things he is right on point.
Marc was a decent Deputy who tried his best to do what was right, encountered some bumps along the way and now is still trying to do the right thing. Most retiree’s from the Sheriff’s Office just write it off and go on to a less stressful more enjoyable life.
And yes I have my suspicions, are you and Billco the same? Post under any other name? I haven’t, rest assured.
Have a Blessed Day
knowthetruth, thanks for your civil reply. I will maintain an open opinion for a while longer. I do appreciate your side of the argument.
Bryan, your welcome. I am not one of those who go off half cocked here and say things I have no reason or business saying or speak without having the information or facts to back up what I said. It’s a terrible shame that in this department , as well as others and I’m sure in the private sector, when those become of power, they lose their perspective or forgot where they came from. Couple this with the inability to lead properly and narcissistic tendencies and you have a formula for disaster. Unfortunately we suffered through this for years in the HCSO and the voting public has no real clue of what goes on, until a major incident occurs. Ie: the Forword thefts, shoplifting, integrity issues and many more that never make it to the public attention as they are swept under the rug if you’re with the right party at the time or a Union Leader. Please keep that open mind and watch what happens from here on. BTW I have not decided on a candidate yet myself. Let’s wait and see what happens, but Mr. Bane needs to go, for all of our sake’s.
Thank you, and God Bless you !
Marc, thanks for your honesty. I take you at your word that you believe you are supporting Harford County deputies, but I don’t see how you can criticize the Sheriff when Harford County has the second lowest crime rate in the state and was part of the breaking up of a gang selling drugs. An objective person would believe that you might let it go with a pat on the back for the deputies and leave Sheriff Bane alone. But, you never do that. You blame him for everything bad and refuse to give credit for anything that is positive. To me that translates that you have had personal issues with him, or else you have someone else in mind that you want to be sheriff. I have witnessed a lot of politics and political races, but I haven’t ever seen an election for sheriff bring so much controversy.
The deputies do a great job in spite of Jesse Bane. Worked for him, know his game. He has no integrity. You don’t keep people employed who lie, steal, falsify records. He does. He is not taken to task for his integrity issues, he gets a free pass. He allows things to take place and then plays the ” I wasn’t aware of that” card. He is a crafty, sneaky person. I have no dog in this race. Bane has taken this department to a place in six years that is dismal. I worked for four Sheriffs and none of them operated the way that Bane does. The voters deserve better, and the people who work for the Office of Sheriff deserve better then L J Bane.
If you lie, steal, falsify records you should not have a job serving in a position of public trust. Can’t get more simple then that. It worked up until 2006.