Prince George’s County Criminal Lawyer

These law enforcement agencies take pride in reducing the crime rate in Prince George’s County; however, an aggressive attempt to reduce crime can often mean overzealous prosecution of those accused of misdemeanor and felony offenses. Anyone arrested or charged with a crime should contact a Prince George’s County criminal lawyer as quickly as possible to help preserve his or her rights and privileges, and to begin building a strategy for handling the case.

Prince George’s County, Maryland

The latest Maryland crime statistics reveal that the state of Maryland enjoyed historically low crime rates, with lowest rate of crime since the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) program began in 1975. This is particularly good news for PG County, where the county’s homicide rate was 20% higher than the state average between 1985 and 2006. In 2006, the county had the highest crime rate for the Washington metro area. Now, the county boasts its lowest overall crime rate, with 2011 seeing a decline of 11.5% in total reported crime compared with the preceding year.

Bordering Washington, D.C., to the north, south, and east, PG County is a major part of the DC metropolitan area. Law enforcement agencies serving the county include the Prince George’s County Police Department, the Prince George’s County Sheriff’s Department, the Maryland State Police, Andrews Air Force Base Security Police, and other federal and municipal police departments. While most incorporated cities and towns in the county have their own municipal police departments, College Park does not.

Criminal Charges in PG County

Because of its high crime rates and homicide rates since the mid-1980’s, the reputation of PG County has suffered. However, in 2011, violent crime in the county was at an all-time low, down almost 17 percent from the previous year. Violent crimes reported in this statistic include Part I offenses listed on the FBI Uniform Crime Reports:

Other crimes not included on the UCR report make up the majority of criminal offenses in the county: DUI, DWI, traffic and traffic citations, assault, speeding tickets, domestic violence, prostitution and solicitation, drug crimes, and other misdemeanor and felony crimes.

Prince George’s County Investigators and Prosecutors

According to the Maryland Governor’s Office of Crime Control and Prevention (GOCCP), violent crime in PG County has dropped by a staggering 39.1% over the past five years, and property crime has been reduced by 28.6% in the same span of time. The GOCCP attributes this reduction in crime to collaboration between law enforcement agencies and programs designed to prevent crime and recidivism:

Experienced Prince George’s County criminal lawyers are necessary to protect defendants from improper arrests, inflated charges, and maximum sentencing.