2016 homicide rates around DC

**D.C.** Overall crime is down by about 4 percent, according to D.C. police figures, while homicides are down 18 percent from last year. They are still 25 percent higher than 2014 and 29 percent higher than 2013, showing how big of a homicide spike the nation’s capital experienced last year. (WTOP/Nick Iannelli)

**Anne Arundel County, Maryland** Anne Arundel County police say they investigated slightly fewer homicides in 2016 than 2015, down to 16. There were 18 in the previous year, both slightly higher than recent trends which have ranged from 10 to 15 dating back to 2007, according to FBI data. As for individual municipalities, violent crime has declined in Annapolis, but the spike in homicides remains a concern. In a letter sent to Annapolis Mayor Mike Pantelides in late September, Annapolis Police Chief Michael Pristoop pinned the rise in homicides on the increasing heroin trade, emboldened criminals, and lax crime fighting at the city’s public housing. “Although the overwhelming majority of housing residents are law-abiding, HACA [Housing Authority of the City of Annapolis] properties have become offender magnets due to HACA’s refusal to enforce banning and other internal rules that affect security,” the police chief wrote. He called the organization’s banning policy the weakest in the region. Pristroop also blamed offenders returning to the streets too quickly for the sudden spike in killings. (Courtesy Anne Arundel County Police Department)

**Baltimore City, Maryland** While Baltimore’s murder count is down about 7 percent from last year, it is still much higher than recent years before 2015. Non-fatal shootings continue to rise in Charm City, up 4 percent after last year’s 72 percent spike. Overall crime in Baltimore is down 2 percent, thanks to across-the-board decreases in property crime. However, violent crime is up 9 percent in the city, with robberies up 16 percent. The biggest increases in robberies were in some of the city’s trendiest areas. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)

**Calvert County, Maryland** It was a quiet year for Calvert County homicide detectives in 2016. The sheriff’s office says there were no homicides committed in the county all year. The last time that has happened was just two years ago. There were two committed last year and three in 2013. The deadliest year in the county was 1989, when four were killed, according to FBI data. (Courtesy Calvert County Sheriff’s Office)

**Howard County, Maryland** Howard County has seen a slight increase in homicides, with a total of six for 2016, according to Howard County police. The county had seen just two in 2015, but this year’s total is not out of line with historic numbers. The county has seen either four or five homicides each year from 2005 to 2014, with the only exception being two killings in 2009, according to FBI data. (WTOP/Ari Ashe)

**Montgomery County, Maryland** It was a deadly year in Montgomery County in 2015, with 30 homicides, the most since 2002 according to FBI data. But Montgomery County police say 2016 was much better with only 15 killings. That’s closer to recent trends where the figures have ranged from 11 to 21 dating back to 2003. As for individual cities, two homicides were reported in Gaithersburg; one was reported in Takoma Park. (WTOP/Dave Dildine)

Prince George's County police are investigating a shooting in Brandywine Wednesday. (Courtesy Prince George's County police) — **Prince George’s County, Maryland** Prince George’s County has seen an increase in homicides in 2016. Police said 98 were committed as of noon Dec. 31 — compared with 77 committed in all of 2015. Both years had more reports of homicides than 2013 and 2014, which saw 56 and 54. There were a similar number of killings back in 2011, when 95 homicides were reported. As for individual municipalities, Bladensburg has also seen an increase in homicides in 2016. There were five this year, compared to just one in 2015, according to that city’s police department. One homicide was reported in Bowie and Hyattsville. Laurel city spokeswoman says that community has not seen any homicides over the past five years. (Courtesy Prince George’s County police)

**St. Mary’s County, Maryland** The St. Mary’s Sheriff’s Office says its detectives investigated two homicides in 2016, the same as it did in 2015. It is typical for the county to see a few homicides each year, though homicide-free years do happen, as well. The last year without a killing was in 2014. (Courtesy St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office)

**City of Alexandria, Virginia** Alexandria continues to grow and has seen a slight increase in homicides in 2016. The Alexandria Police Department says it investigated seven homicides in 2016, more than the four seen in 2014 and 2015 each and the five seen in 2013. While the city has seen an increase, it is in-line with historical figures as 1993 and 1994 were the deadliest years over the past three decades, according to FBI data. Alexandria saw nine homicides each of those years, but the city had about 30,000 fewer residents. (Courtesy Alexandria Police Department)

**Arlington County, Virginia** Arlington had just one homicide in 2016, according to Arlington County police, the same as it did in 2014 and 2015. It continues a relatively peaceful trend for the county, which has seen no more than six killings in a single year going back to 2001, according to FBI data. Arlington has had a few recent homicide-free years. The last one was in 2013. (Courtesy Arlington County Police)

A Fairfax County Police vehicle sits at the entrance to Westfield High School in Chantilly, Va., as flags fly at half-staff, and school busses wait to pick up students, Tuesday, April 17, 2007. (AP Photo/Chris Greenberg) — **Fairfax County, Virginia** Fairfax County police investigated 16 homicides in 2016, which is an increase from 13 in 2015, according to the police department. This year’s total is on the high side for the county, matching 2010 and 2012 which each also saw 16 homicides. That compares to just 8 in 2013, but much better than the 23 counted in 2010, according to FBI statistics. (AP Photo/Chris Greenberg)

A growing number of law enforcement agencies in Loudoun County are equipping officers with body cameras. (WTOP/Neal Augenstein, file) — **Loudoun County, Virginia** Loudoun County is the fastest growing jurisdiction in the region, but it continues to be one of the safest places to live. Few homicides are part of that. In 2016, the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office says it investigated two homicides. That’s down from the three committed in each 2014 and 2015 and the four committed in 2013. In fact, over the past 30 years, the deadliest years for the county were in 1995, 2001 and 2005. Only five homicides were committed those years. (Courtesy Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office)

**Prince William County, Virginia** Since 2010, Prince William County police say they have investigated no more than 10 homicides in any of those years. In 2016, there were 22. According to crime reports filed with the FBI since 1985, 2016 was the deadliest year in county. The next deadliest years in that time span were in 1999 and 2006, where 14 homicides were committed each year. The county had just two homicides as recently as 2012. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Side of police car. — **Spotsylvania County, Virginia** Three people were killed in Spotsylvania County in 2016, one more than in 2015, says the Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Office. A spokesman for the office says it is a normal total for the county. Spotsylvania has seen homicide figures range from a few as two to as many as seven over the past six years, according to FBI data; the most coming in 2010. (Courtesy Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Office)

**Stafford County, Virginia** Stafford County saw seven homicides in 2016, according to the sheriff’s office. It’s the deadliest year in the county since 2009, when the county investigated eight killings. The total is higher than normal for the county, which over the past five years had not seen more than five homicides and no fewer than two each year. (Courtesy Stafford County Sheriff’s Office)

**Northern Virginia Cities** It has been another peaceful year for Northern Virginia’s smaller cities. There were only three homicides committed in Fairfax City, Fredericksburg, Manassas and Manassas Park. Two happened in Fredericksburg and one in Manassas. It’s an improvement for Fredericksburg, which investigated five last year, the most in the past 30 years. Since 2013, there have only been three homicides in Fairfax, Manassas and Manassas Park. Falls Church and Leesburg have not responded with current crime data. (Courtesy City of Fredericksburg Police Department)

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WASHINGTON — It has been a mixed year for homicides in the region.

The big cities, Washington and Baltimore, have both seen decreases in the number of homicides, though both are still well above their 2014 figures. Washington’s decrease, though, is significant as it has dropped by more than 16 percent.

For the counties, it’s a mixed bag of news.

The news is good in Montgomery County, which has seen just 15 homicides in 2016, half of 2015’s total of 30. The news is also good in Loudoun County, which despite seeing people move in by the thousands every year, only had two homicides in 2016.

The news isn’t so good in places like Prince William County, which saw the number of homicides more than double. That county only had nine killings in 2015, but jumped up to 22 this year.

Fairfax County, the region’s largest jurisdiction, has seen a slight increase from 13 to 16, which is still in line with previous years.

Annapolis has seen a shocking spike in homicides, going from one in 2015 to 10 this year.

The above gallery explores the homicide count from across the D.C. metro area.

2016 homicide rates around DC

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2016 homicide rates around DC

Share This Gallery:

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