Homicides drop in Baltimore County

BALTIMORE COUNTY, Md. - The numbers are down.

Since 2005 the number of homicides in Baltimore County dropped fifty percent.

It is a trend only punctuated by the five year low of 20 homicides reported in 2010; numbers the county executive called remarkable.

"In the past year police officers in every precinct in this county fought to keep us safe with every tool at their disposal," said County Executive Kevin Kamenetz.

It is those tools county leaders boasted about today.

In addition to old fashioned police work, the police department credits its gang enforcement unit, domestic violence coordinators and its work place violence team.

Special units police say that help to prevent retaliatory crime that can lead to murder.

"We live and work in a community where government and community works together. Business and community associations to make our county the very best place to live work and play," said Baltimore County Police Chief Jim Johnson.

And police say the state's attorneys office is a large part of that as it focuses on better witness protection programs, DNA evidence and tough sentencing and bail for violent offenders.

"As you all know a very small number of individuals commit the majority of violent crime in this state and we think it is important that we continue to lock them up and get good sentences on them because obviously if they are in prison, they are not out to reoffend," said Baltimore County State’s Attorney Scott Shellenberger.

A tough stance on the back end with aggressive police work on the front end...a successful combination county leaders say is responsible for a drastic decline of county homicides.