Salisbury Sees Reduction in Part 1 Crimes Since 2012
Since 2012, the number of what are called “Part 1” crimes in Salisbury has dropped 45 percent overall, according to the Salisbury Police Department’s 2022 Part 1 crime statistics. Part 1 crime includes the ten most common offenses encountered by law enforcement, including aggravated assault, rape, homicide, arson, human trafficking, motor vehicle theft, robbery, burglary, and theft. In 2022, the City of Salisbury saw a total of 1,209 reported Part I crimes, in comparison to 2,199 in 2012.
Salisbury Mayor Jack Heath tells the Talk of Delmarva’s Mike Bradley why there has been such a significant drop in those and other crimes commonly encountered by law enforcement…
Additional Information from the Salisbury Police Department:
This decrease includes a substantial drop in burglaries, from 324 in 2012 to 133 in 2022, and as well as a drop in theft from 1,464 in 2012 to 699 in 2022. One of the largest declines seen was in adult arrests, which fell from 2,754 in 2012 to 1,191 in 2022, a 58 percent decrease in 10 years.
“This decrease in Part 1 crime took the cooperation of every division of the Salisbury Police Department,” said Salisbury Chief of Police Barbara Duncan. “Our officers and staff are truly committed to the safety and wellbeing of our City and its residents. It’s only because of their hard work, diligence and drive to continue this downward trend that we are able to announce this accomplishment today.”
In addition to collaboration between sworn and civilian staff, critical community connections between neighboring law enforcement offices, internal data analysis, and the introduction of new programs and policies contributed heavily to the drop in crime.
Under the leadership of Chief Barbara Duncan, the Salisbury Police Department has developed a long list of innovative policing programs, including re-instituting the Department’s K-9 program, reimagining the Criminal Investigations Division (CID), building a Crisis Intervention Team and Co-Responder pilot project, and developing the Police Complaint Mediation process in partnership with Community Mediation Maryland (CMM) and Tri Community Mediation (TCM), consistent with the Maryland Police Standards and Training recommended best practices, and more.
“I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again–public safety is our number one priority, and these numbers are proof of that,” said Mayor Jack Heath. “As we enter National Police Week, we cannot celebrate this victory without acknowledging the hard work and dedication of the members of the Salisbury Police Department to make Salisbury a safer city.”
For a detailed comparison, you can find the Salisbury Police Department’s 2022 Part I Crime report here.
