(Nov. 27, 2014) Ocean Pines is among the most-improved cities in Maryland when it comes to crime rates, according to the Safe Choice Security blog.
From 2007 to 2012, the community showed a 46.77 decrease in crime. The website compiled crime statistics, including property and violent crimes, of all municipalities in the state with populations of more than 5,000.
Ocean Pines ranked fourth in the list. Two other Eastern Shore areas, Easton [10] and Salisbury [13], ranked in the top 20.
Safe Choice Security attributed the decrease to residence checks, anonymous tipping, operation drug box and neighborhood watches, as well as a police department that “has done a great job of living up to its slogan of ‘Duty, Honor and Community.’”
Ocean Pines Police Chief David Massey took the encouraging statistics with a grain of salt.
“Crime is systematic,” he said. “There are going to be years when it goes up and years when it goes down. When you reach a low number there’s really only one way to go. It’s unrealistic to expect no crime.”
This year, for example, has been one of the community’s busiest according to Massey.
“We’re busier this year, but we’re seeing more heroin and that’s a national epidemic,” he said. “Last year was not as busy. We did clear most of our major criminal cases and a lot of repeat offenders were incarcerated. This year we’ve been busier than last year, so we’ll have to see at the end of the year where we are.”
Massey underscored the influence of the heroin epidemic.
“It’s not just Ocean Pines – it’s every community in this country that there’s a rising tide of heroin, which leads to property crimes,” he said. “Basically, to fund an addiction people will break in, they will try to take property and that’s what we’re dealing with right now.”
In July Ocean Pines ranked first in the “10 Safest Cities in Maryland” list compiled by SafeWise Report, a website that used FBI crime data from 2012. The data showed a violent crime rate of 1.17 per 1,000 residents and a property crime rate of 6.95 per 1,000 residents.
“We don’t deal with violent crime, knock on wood,” Massey said. “Our crimes are typically property crimes. We have domestic violence, we have mental health issues, we have juvenile issues with the number of kids. What we don’t have that they have in Ocean City is 200 bars and the violence that alcohol can tend to create as far as fights and serious assaults. We do have some, but it’s fairly rare.”
If you must have crime, Massey said, property crime is preferable.
“When you measure that, luckily that’s what we deal with,” he said. “We don’t have the crimes of violence, which tends to make us appear that we’re safer than a lot of communities. We’re happy about the fact that crime went down, but we’re realistic to realize there are going to be years when it goes back up.”
For more information visit www.safechoicesecurity.com/blog/20-cities-in-maryland-with-the-most-improved-crime-rate.
From 2007 to 2012, the community showed a 46.77 decrease in crime. The website compiled crime statistics, including property and violent crimes, of all municipalities in the state with populations of more than 5,000.
Ocean Pines ranked fourth in the list. Two other Eastern Shore areas, Easton [10] and Salisbury [13], ranked in the top 20.
Safe Choice Security attributed the decrease to residence checks, anonymous tipping, operation drug box and neighborhood watches, as well as a police department that “has done a great job of living up to its slogan of ‘Duty, Honor and Community.’”
Ocean Pines Police Chief David Massey took the encouraging statistics with a grain of salt.
“Crime is systematic,” he said. “There are going to be years when it goes up and years when it goes down. When you reach a low number there’s really only one way to go. It’s unrealistic to expect no crime.”
This year, for example, has been one of the community’s busiest according to Massey.
“We’re busier this year, but we’re seeing more heroin and that’s a national epidemic,” he said. “Last year was not as busy. We did clear most of our major criminal cases and a lot of repeat offenders were incarcerated. This year we’ve been busier than last year, so we’ll have to see at the end of the year where we are.”
Massey underscored the influence of the heroin epidemic.
“It’s not just Ocean Pines – it’s every community in this country that there’s a rising tide of heroin, which leads to property crimes,” he said. “Basically, to fund an addiction people will break in, they will try to take property and that’s what we’re dealing with right now.”
In July Ocean Pines ranked first in the “10 Safest Cities in Maryland” list compiled by SafeWise Report, a website that used FBI crime data from 2012. The data showed a violent crime rate of 1.17 per 1,000 residents and a property crime rate of 6.95 per 1,000 residents.
“We don’t deal with violent crime, knock on wood,” Massey said. “Our crimes are typically property crimes. We have domestic violence, we have mental health issues, we have juvenile issues with the number of kids. What we don’t have that they have in Ocean City is 200 bars and the violence that alcohol can tend to create as far as fights and serious assaults. We do have some, but it’s fairly rare.”
If you must have crime, Massey said, property crime is preferable.
“When you measure that, luckily that’s what we deal with,” he said. “We don’t have the crimes of violence, which tends to make us appear that we’re safer than a lot of communities. We’re happy about the fact that crime went down, but we’re realistic to realize there are going to be years when it goes back up.”
For more information visit www.safechoicesecurity.com/blog/20-cities-in-maryland-with-the-most-improved-crime-rate.