SILVER SPRING, Md. — Montgomery County leaders want the residents of Silver Spring to know that they are addressing ongoing crime concerns in the city. While many leaders pointed to successes that the county has had in fighting crime, they acknowledged there is still work to be done.
Leaders held a press conference Wednesday to let those who live in downtown Silver Spring and surrounding areas know that the work to address crime concerns is continuous, and that making residents feel safe where they live is important.
"Great things are happening in Silver Spring, but none of that matters if residents don't feel safe," Montgomery County Council President Andrew Friedson said.
Several leaders said there were challenges to tackling public safety in Silver Spring, specifically when it comes to police presence.
“The crime, that’s going on in the area,” Co-owner of Ebony Barbers Unisex, Michael Bailey said. “I know crime is everywhere, but it seems to be a little rapid in this area whereas before it wasn’t.”
Bailey said there have been several car jackings in the area and mentioned even his clients have brought up their concerns about what’s going on in the area.
Montgomery County Police Chief Marcus Jones said overall crime in the county increased about 10% from 2022 to 2023, and Silver Spring accounted for 9% of all crimes in the county in 2023.
The county has seen a significant reduction in carjackings so far in 2024, but auto thefts remain an area of concern, according to the chief.
Jones said Kias and Hyundais are still a target for thieves, and announced an upcoming partnership with the automakers to host an event from May 10 to May 12 at the MCPD headquarters to supply drivers with software upgrades and other anti-theft devices like steering wheel locks. Additional details about that event are expected to be released soon.
"We are committed to deploying our limited resources based on stats and trends," the chief said.
Speaking of those limited resources, County Executive Marc Elrich said the Montgomery County Police Department is currently dealing with a staffing shortage. Right now, Elrich said the department is down 170 officers and if trends continue, the police department could be down as many as 200.
Elrich said that shortage makes it so officers are responding to one call after another with no time for community patrolling. He said they were more in a response mode than a proactive mode.
"We need to get our officers in a different mode, but that won't happen until we get our staffing in order," he said.
In an effort get more officers on the police force, Elrich said leaders are working on implementing reforms to the recruiting process.
Under current rules, those applying to be an MCPD officer have to be cannabis-free for three years prior to applying. Elrich said the county is working to repeal that rule. Since other nearby jurisdictions don't have the same requirement, Elrich said they are losing recruits to those jurisdictions.
Another change in the works is adjusting the college credit requirement. Current recruits are required to have 60 college credit hours before applying. The county is working on reforms to that requirement to allow officers to complete the college credits while working as an officer.
Elrich also said they are working on a simpler path forward for the department's cadet program, but did not have details about that particular reform.
All speakers in attendance spoke about successes in addressing crime concerns for Silver Spring neighbors, including the Drone as First Responder Pilot Program, which helps fight crime without necessarily needing an officer on the street to respond. Elrich said the pilot program would soon be expanded to Bethesda and Germantown.
The county has also expanded the use of license plate readers, funded more security cameras in parking garages, and rolled out a grant program for homes and businesses to get their own surveillance cameras to deter crime.
"We are busy working to put things in place and that work continues," said Montgomery County Vice President Kate Stewart.