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With the exception of isolated incidents that produced a spike in victims or reports, Frederick law enforcement officials say that crime in 2009 was steady in numbers and impact.

Completed crime statistics for both the Frederick County Sheriff's Office and Frederick Police Department for 2009 are still being compiled, but the heads of both departments forecast a relatively steady crime rate this year.

Frederick County Sheriff Chuck Jenkins (R) said he anticipates that Part I crimes will be down slightly overall for the county limits in 2009. Part I crimes include homicides, rapes, assaults, robberies, thefts, burglaries, crimes against children and felony thefts, and are reported to the FBI as part of a nationwide Uniformed Crime Report.

"At the end of the year, we'll see what I hope will be a decrease in overall crime," Jenkins said.

The Sheriff's Office, which reports its crime statistics collaboratively with Maryland State Police, saw a 4 percent increase in Part I crimes in 2008 from 2007, due to a 14 percent increase in larceny thefts, the only increase the offices noted last year. The department reported decreases in assaults, rapes, robberies and homicides and motor vehicle thefts.

Jenkins said he believed a decrease in larceny — which includes shoplifting, general thefts and thefts from motor vehicles — would translate into an overall decline of the crime rate for 2009. In all of 2008, the sheriff's office noted a total of 1,682 cases of larceny thefts. Through November 2009, only 1,024 were reported.

"I don't think we've seen the worst of the economy, but so far, I'm pleased that we haven't seen the increases in crime that I thought we would," he said. "I only hope that people ride this out and not commit crimes of necessity."

The crime number that will undoubtedly rise this year, Jenkins said, is reported homicides, but the higher number has an explanation.

In April, a husband killed his wife and three children before killing himself, and that incident alone will increase the homicide rate by 400 percent, Jenkins said.

"It was a terrible tragedy that I hope we never see it again, and also in terms of the number of victims," Jenkins said.

The Sheriff's Office and Maryland State Police have combated crime this year by ramping up its use of its Proactive Aggressive Community Enforcement program, which allows deputies to deploy more rapidly and efficiently, Jenkins said. The program, implemented in 2007, increases traffic enforcement, foot and bike patrol, warrants service and surveillance.

Jenkins attributed the aggressive use of the program to the projected decrease in crime.

"I think the numbers will bear out that we've been a little more proactive than usual, and I think in time, it's going to show some good results," he said.

Officials with the Frederick Police Department also say they saw a steady crime rate this year. Their most recent year-to-date comparisons for Part I crimes for November 2008 and November 2009 show a slight decrease of 0.74 percent.

"From looking at preliminary numbers, we're going to end up generally around where we were last year," Frederick Police Chief Kim Dine said.

The department noted a 4.2 percent increase in overall crime in 2008 from 2007, due to an uptick in burglaries, assaults and robberies. Violent crimes, such as murders and rapes, however, had decreased.

This year, theft-related incidents, particularly robberies, are where police say they anticipate a slight increase. Preliminary numbers from January to November of this year show that a general theft, which includes everything from thefts from vehicles to shoplifting, is noting 76 more incidents than the same time last year.

However, it is the preliminary 17.2 percent increase in robberies, which include armed and strong-armed, from the same time last year that have police taking notice.

"Robberies of all types are what we're most concerned about right now," Dine said, noting that most robberies tend to occur in spurts. "It's a double-edged sword because it's good that it's our worst concern, but it's bad because it's our worst concern."

Police are investigating a recent rash of robberies. Between Dec. 11 and Dec. 14, the department took five reports of armed robberies. The department experienced a similar rash earlier this year, in which they made 16 arrests. By The Gazette's press time, at least one suspect had been arrested and charged in one of the recent robberies, police said.

This year the department pursued several state grants, which allowed them to hire a new crime analyst who finds the patterns and lays the foundation for police to "put our people out there at the times and places they need to be," Dine said.

Additionally, the department, along with the Sheriff's Office, is participating in the Frederick EXILE program, a collaboration with federal law enforcement agencies that seeks the maximum penalties under federal law for repeat gun-crime offenders, including those who may carry out crimes with weapons.

The department also used a grant earlier this year to hire a community prosecutor who works as a liaison with the Frederick County State's Attorney's Office, to implement the program in the city. So far, six people have been prosecuted under the EXILE program, half of which were from Frederick city.

In other proactive measures this year, the department has invested in several technological resources, such as anonymous technological channels through which residents can offer tips, and a neighborhood crime alert system that allows residents to be more engaged in what's happening in their neighborhoods. These efforts have complemented the department's mission of community policing, Dine said.

"Somebody always knows what happens, so it's important to continue to put that positive pressure out there," he said.

But, as the department continues to face compounding budget woes — in addition to being short-staffed by 11 officers — Dine said that 2010 could hold a new set of challenges.

"The biggest challenge is going to be to maintain the overall positive pressure and multifaceted approach to policing," he said.

E-mail Erica L. Green at egreen@gazette.net.