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Takoma Park police report shows drop in reported crime; department credits targeted interventions and partnerships
Summary
The Takoma Park Police Department reported a 51% decline in Part One crimes year‑on‑year, citing concentrated enforcement and security at a Walgreens hotspot among factors; council members pressed for clarity about under‑reporting and data sources.
Takoma Park’s police chief told the City Council that the department recorded a 51% decline in Part One crimes in the past year, a shift the department attributed largely to targeted enforcement, business partnerships and concentrated problem‑solving.
Police Chief Deval said the city recorded 664 Part One crimes in 2025 compared with about 1,300 in 2024, and singled out reductions in larceny and burglaries. He described one concentrated problem at a local Walgreens that previously drove repeated calls for service: "Since [Walgreens] provided armed security at that location, we have seen a drastic reduction in the number of thefts," the chief said.
Why it matters: a large percentage drop in reported crime can reflect successful policing and partnership actions, but council members and staff noted the risk that declining reports can also mask under‑reporting by victims. Council Member Hanzac asked whether fear of reporting might have contributed to lower numbers; the chief said the department encourages reporting and emphasized continued outreach to undocumented and vulnerable residents.
The department also reported operational statistics: 109 total arrests in 2025 (mostly adults), 70 emergency petitions (59% initiated by police, 41% by clinicians), 8,662 CAD dispatch calls, and roughly 754 moving citations issued. Traffic enforcement actions focus on problem corridors, the police said, and automated enforcement accounted for more than 30,000 red‑light camera citations in 2025, with the highest count at New Hampshire and Ethan Allen.
Council members asked for more granular hot‑spot and crash data and a breakdown of whether the declines represent true crime reductions or changes in reporting behavior. Police said they can supply ward‑level and site‑specific data and encouraged residents to report incidents in order to maintain an accurate intelligence picture.
What’s next: the department will provide additional data on hotspots (including Walgreens and New Hampshire Avenue corridor locations), and council asked staff to analyze potential reporting gaps and any demographic signals in traffic‑stop and reporting patterns.
