Montgomery County has experienced a significant rise in crime rates for the third consecutive year. including auto thefts, carjackings, robberies, burglaries, and homicides. According to a MoCo360 analysis, auto thefts in the county have spiked 130%, from 1,499 incidents in 2022 to 3,438 incidents in 2023. This same trend can be seen in the increased number of homicides, with a startling rise of 93% of reported homicides since 2019, increasing from 15 in 2019 to 29 in 2023.
Dr. Mooney released to The Tattler a report highlighting the trends of incidents at B-CC from the 2023 school year to now. The report details incidents of a variety of categories, including threats to students, attacks on student, and bullying and harassment. In the fighting section, incidents have increased by 1% since 2023, whereas bullying and harassment have dropped by 3% and threats to students have decreased by 4%. While the number of incidents in each category varies from year to year, some increasing and some decreasing, there is no clear trendline in B-CC’s data that is consistent with the trend seen in the Montgomery County crime rates.
However, B-CC has experienced two lockdowns in the 2023 school year and one lockdown during the 2024 school year due to criminal activity in the area, which for some has led to the perception that school is less safe. Sophomore Addison Foist shared, “After the most recent lockdown it made me feel extremely anxious and overwhelmed knowing that there is so much crime around us.” Junior Sasha Ingber added, “After the lockdown, I was uncomfortable being in the neighborhood where the crime took place.”
In response to these safety incidents, B-CC has implemented increased security and safety measures in our schools. In a recent community message sent on Feb. 7, Dr. Mooney announced, “B-CC has been requiring students to present their ID card to enter the building at the beginning of the day and after lunch since the beginning of the year.” This new requirement has allowed students and staff to feel more secure. Freshman Billie Margulis stated, “The new ID policy made me feel more comfortable at school knowing there is more security inside and outside the building.”
