Crime is going down, Dundalk precinct chief says

First published Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024 in the Dundalk Eagle.

For the most part, crime is going down, Precinct 12 Captain Anthony DiCara said Monday.

There’s been a spike in robberies, though, he said — 19 more robberies this year than there were last year. Aggravated assault, too, is up — 34 more cases this year than last.

“A lot of these, unfortunately, are domestic-related,” DiCara said. “They’re people who are in some sort of relationship, or at the very least know each other.”

Burglaries are at about the same level as they were last year, he said. Far fewer cases of people stealing items from cars have been reported, he said — over 40% less. Car thefts are down 31% from last year, he said — though there’s been an uptick of car thefts in Old Dundalk in the last few weeks.

People are still mostly steeling older Kia and Hyundai cars, the captain said.

“I’m not sure what’s accounting for this recent spike, but we’ll get it under control,” DiCara said, adding that police still have steering wheel locks and they need to upgrade their car’s software.

Unlike in Baltimore City, he said carjackings are quite rare. Neither he nor any of the officers in attendance remembered any carjackings in the Dundalk precinct since the beginning of the year.

There have been 67 carjackings across the entire county, he added, about the same as in 2023 and 7 less than 2022.

Still, he said, the numbers don’t tell the full story.

“I talk every month about the difference between numbers and what you’re seeing and perceiving in your neighborhood, which is really what I like to focus on,” he told the crowd. “You know your neighborhood best and you can’t reduce everything to a data point or a number.”