Montgomery police aim to crack down on 'pack' robbers

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Montgomery County (Map, News) - In Montgomery County, authorities are facing packs of young criminals working in groups of three or more, threatening residents with violence in exchange for petty cash, according to just-released crime statistics.

Overall, crime in Montgomery remained relatively flat between 2006 and 2007, rising by a mere 1.2 percent, driven in part by a 19 percent jump in murders from 16 to 19.

And while the number of robberies dropped by 6 percent, robbers are trying approaches previously rare in the suburban county.

About 17 percent of the county's nearly 1,100 robberies were described as "pack" robberies, according to the report. Statistics for that type of robbery date back only to 2005, and since then the definition has changed from groups of four to groups of three, so they're difficult to compare, Cpl. Tracie Copeland, a Montgomery County police spokeswoman, said.

"It's a relatively new phenomenon ... and could be an indication of a growing problem," Copeland said. The packs are composed mostly of young boys who are sometimes in gangs. These gangs often threaten violence, carry weapons or both. They typically don't get away with much and they wouldn't likely be doing it without the strength in numbers, she said.

And they're not easy to catch, Copeland said. "The more you throw at [a victim], the less likely they're going to remember faces."

Now that the county is keeping track of the pack robbery statistics, however, the police will have a better chance of cracking down, she said. Building on the work of the Police Community Action Team, a roving unit of officers who focus their attention on one type of crime at a time - and plainclothes officers already on the streets - the police hope to start turning the tide.

The detectives have already caught some of the packs "red-handed," she said, and "the expectation is the arrests will only rise from here."

Montgomery County 2007 crime statistics compared to 2006:

Murder: Increased 19 percent, from 16 to 19

Rape: Decreased 8.5 percent, from 141 to 129

Robbery: Decreased 6 percent, from 1,166 to 1,096

Larceny: Increased 4 percent, from 16,860 to 17,536

fklopott@dcexaminer.com  

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