Montgomery County Police are deploying additional resources, including more officers, license plate readers, and the department’s Raven 1 drone, to retail districts in Silver Spring for the holiday season.
On the first night of the MCPD’s holiday crime reduction initiative, police reported arresting armed suspects near a retail center and seizing firearms after a traffic stop.
“We started tonight [Wednesday], and are already seeing success,” 3rd District Commander Jason Cokinos wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “Proactive officers assigned to the crime detail made a traffic stop and seized an illegally possessed handgun and AR pistol with drum magazine.
“Very dangerous weapon taken off the streets!” Cokinos continued.
Cokinos told WJLA that shootings are down 62%, auto thefts 42%, robberies 25%, and carjackings 50%. However, retail theft has increased by 25%, leading some retailers, including a CVS in Downtown Silver Spring, to lock up some merchandise.
“We have identified our top 10 retailers that are being victimized by retail theft, and we’re not talking about someone coming in and stealing a drink,” Cokinos said. “We’re talking about organized groups that are stealing hundreds and thousands of dollars’ worth of merchandise.”
“We want to keep you safe. We want you to have a good time, but don’t contribute to the problem,” Cokinos told DC News Now.
Photo: MCPD3DCommander / X (formerly Twitter)