A rise in gang attacks has led to a jump in Montgomery County robberies over the past decade, according to Police Chief J. Thomas Manger.
The increases are a thorn for law enforcement officers who have seen crime dip in virtually every other category despite a booming population.
Robberies jumped 68 percent, from 654 in 1999 to 1,100 in 2008, the most recent police data shows.
The increase in pack robberies — roaming gangs that attack and steal from unsuspecting victims on the streets — are “the biggest problem we’re facing right now,” Manger said.
At the same time, murders, rapes and burglaries have declined or remained generally the same in Maryland’s wealthiest county.
Recognizing the growing trend, Manger says police have turned to more robbery detectives and dispatched officers increasingly to problem areas — particularly along the Prince George’s County line and pockets of Gaithersburg.
Montgomery officials point to less rigid sentencing guidelines than in Virginia and a smaller police force than Fairfax County, which has enjoyed greater success in stanching gang crime.
“The fact is we don’t keep bad guys in jail as long as the state of Virginia,” Manger said. “That never ceases to make my head explode. The solution for [Maryland] is we’d rather release [criminals] back into the community than pay the extra money.”
Montgomery police complain they see criminals just days after they were locked up for serious crimes, particularly when it comes to robbery. Despite improving crime numbers, Montgomery is being eclipsed by Fairfax County, its demographic equal across the Potomac.
The rate of violent crimes is 235 per 100,000 residents in Montgomery County compared with 78 per 100,000 residents in Fairfax County, according to a recent report commissioned by the Montgomery County Council.
Area researchers have noted that gang members migrated away from Northern Virginia — and its increasingly strict gang laws — into Maryland in recent years. Police officials in Arlington and Fairfax counties and the District of Columbia said they could not comment on gang robberies Thursday.
Montgomery Councilman Phil Andrews, D-Gaithersburg/Rockville, said robberies “stand out to me because other crime statistics are going down,” adding it “contributes to a sense of lacking safety.”
The Maryland General Assembly this year passed legislation that broadened the definition for gang activity and made it easier to prosecute such crimes. Gang-prevention activists said the change was needed years ago. In Montgomery County, about 147 inmates a day tell police they are affiliated with a gang, according to John McCarthy, state’s attorney for the county.
