Towson Precinct's Violent Crime Rates Up From 2010

Towson's rates of violent crime are up to pre-2009 levels, according to police statistics released Monday.

police reported 385 incidents of Part I violent crimes in Towson in 2011, compared to 311 in 2010, a 23 percent increase.

Police on Monday, however, chose to tout progress made against five-year average rates. Chief James Johnson wrote about the countywide statistics .

"A single year of crime data can be influenced significantly by weather, civil disturbances and the random–or even once-in-a-lifetime–event. We get a better picture of how we are doing when we take the longer view," Johnson wrote. "The 2011 report shows that our Police Department is fulfilling the mission of reducing crime – both in the short term and the long term."

Johnson suggests 2010's snowstorms may have contributed to the drop in crime that year.

The Towson precinct saw four homicides in 2011 (compared to one in 2010), 167 robberies (up from 137) and 206 aggravated assaults (up from 162).

Overall, the rate of Part I crimes (violent crimes, as well as burglary, theft and arson) was roughly on par from 2010 to 2011.

Find the 2011 statistics attached to this article, along with statistics showing the data from 2010.

Capt. Jonathan Trentzsch, the Towson precinct's commander, could not immediately be reached for comment. However, , he described many of the armed robberies and burglaries as "crimes of opportunity" and not necessarily part of ongoing trends.