Sheriff’s Office Town Hall
Gun Violence Statistics, Initiatives Reviewed
The St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office held a town hall Monday evening to provide information on gun violence. Personnel reviewed statistics, answered questions, and heard feedback throughout the two hour meeting. Sheriff Steve Hall spoke briefly, but largely stood aside as various personnel and community partners spoke directly to their work.
Crime analyst Kelly Castle reviewed several data points regarding firearms and group violence. Castle said 35% of murders between 2018 and 2024 were group violence related. Group violence “refers to any social network whose members commit violent crimes together,” she said. Of contact shootings, which occur when someone is shot but not killed, 59% were related to group violence. While 2021 saw a sharp increase in firearm crimes, Castle noted those offenses have decreased by 42% over the past three years. Around half of all reckless endangerment cases, charged when property is damaged by bullets, involved group violence over the past four years. Cumulatively, weapon offenses have steadily increased over the last seven years, with group violence playing a significant factor.
Castle also highlighted gun crimes by city for the same reporting period, which showed 53%, or 472 out of 891, happened in Lexington Park. Other cities hitting double digit numbers include California (89), Mechanicsville (80), Great Mills (75), Leonardtown (45), Hollywood (28), Charlotte Hall (15), and Park Hall (12). Of the 684 guns recovered, 16% were unserialized. It was noted that these totals did not include three instances where a large recovery of guns would have skewed the results: 96 firearms seized in Mechanicsville in 2018, and two instances in 2024 where 80 and 129 firearms were recovered, respectively. The location of those crimes was not provided because the cases are still active. But news reports last year showed the 80 “ghost” guns recovered in Lexington Park, and over 100 firearms recovered in Hollywood in October 2024.
Next, Anna Joy Bussler reviewed corrections data. Bussler, a corrections analyst, said 21% of incarcerated individuals at the end of 2023 and 2024 were charged with gun crimes. Of the 69 people currently incarcerated, 57% are awaiting trial, 16% are awaiting sentencing, 10% were sentenced to local jail time, while 3% were sentenced to state incarceration. Data broken out by race showed African Americans are 72% of those incarcerated, with 25% Caucasian and 3% Hispanic. Sixty-eight are male and one is female. Juveniles account for 12% of those in jail.
The Group Violence Intervention Program, a coordinated effort among the Sheriff’s Office, St. Mary’s County Health Department, Department of Social Services, State’s Attorneys Office, Department of Juvenile Services, and Mediation Center, was also reviewed. This program identifies those at risk of engaging in, or being the victim of, violent behavior. Then, program partners make contact with the individual through a Notification Team who offer services that will assist the person with changing their circumstances. Since August 2023, 49 notifications have been made offering employment, expungement, mediation, crisis counseling, and youth mentoring services.
Many attended the town hall, expressing thanks to Sheriff’s Office personnel for their transparency and actions to combat gun violence. It was repeatedly stressed, however, that the community is an important part of the solution. Crime tips can be reported through the Crime Solvers Hotline at 301-475-333, by texting “Tip239” to 274637, or online at: https://cityprotect.com/forms/stmarysmd.com/anonymous?lang=en-US
The full slide deck from the presentation is available here: https://www.firstsheriff.com/docs/TownHall01272025.pdf
