SILVER SPRING, Md. — For the second consecutive year, Montgomery County saw a significant increase in homicides, according to soon-to-be released figures from the police department.
“We’re just getting our final crime numbers together for 2015, and we did see a spike in homicides,” says Montgomery County Police Chief Tom Manger.
There were 29 murders in the county last year, an increase of 53 percent when compared to 2014 when there were 19 homicides.
“Overall, crime was up one percent from 2014 to 2015,” Manger says.
In nearly all of the cases the victim and suspect knew each other, according to the police data.
The number of killings in 2014 marked a massive spike of nearly 138 percent compared to 2013, when there were just eight murders in the county.
Although, the chief maintains the county is still trending in the right direction.
“When we look at the crime numbers today compared to what they were 10 years ago, even compared to what they were five years ago, they are still down,” Manger says.
D.C. also saw a significant rise in homicides last year. There were 162 killings in the District, an increase of 54 percent and the highest number since 2008.
