Violent crime is up in Prince George’s, even as carjackings, shootings fall…. read more

Homicide numbers so far are steady and nonfatal shootings and carjackings are down in Prince George’s County compared with this period last year, according to county department data.

Two years after authorities faced a particularly deadly summer and a pandemic-fueled rise in carjackings, police officials say the latest numbers reflect improvement, but acknowledge that violent crime is still is up about 11 percent compared with the same period last year. The increase is driven by assaults and domestic violence assaults without a weapon.

Crime upticks across the nation in every major locale, crime is an issue, and for every jurisdiction, and Prince George’s County has not been immune to that,” Prince George’s County Police Chief Malik Aziz said of the summer months. “The good news is that we go into this summer with overall crime down.”

Here’s what to know as county officials try to remain vigilant to tamp down summer violence through September