Part 1: Takoma Park Crime Statistics

Crime was down overall in Takoma Park for 2011.

There were 565 crimes in the city in 2011, as compared to 652 in 2010, according to statistics from Takoma Park Crime Analyst Andrew Gucciardo.

Crime categories include homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny and auto theft.

Today we'll look at homicide, rape and robbery. Tomorrow we'll look into the stats for aggravated assault, burglary, larceny and auto theft.

There were no reported homicides in Takoma Park in 2010, but there was one in 2011. However, the statistic doesn't tell the whole story.

The homicide reported was the police shooting of the on Jan. 28, 2011. For those who don't remember, the man took hostages at the Capital One Bank at the Takoma Langley Crossroads. As he walked out, the suspect slipped, and the female hostage was able to run away. The suspect ran after the hostage, and that’s when officers shot him.

Even though it was a justifiable homicide, Gucciardo said, police still have to report it for the crime statistics.

Rapes were up from last year. There were three rapes in Takoma Park in 2011 and one rape in 2010, according to statistics.

However, robberies were down significantly. There were 32 robberies in 2011 compared to 48 in 2010.

Here is the breakdown:

Homicide

• 2010 - 0
• 2011 - 1

Rape

• 2010 - 1
• 2011 - 3

Robbery

• 2010 - 48
• 2011 - 32