OCEAN CITY, Md. — An annual report put together by the Ocean City Police department shows arrests reaching a five-year low.
In 2024 Ocean City officers made 1,690 arrests compared to 1,944 in 2023.
A majority of the arrests came during the summer months, when tourism picks up.
Of the 2024 arrests, 99 of them were weapons related with 73 others linked to drugs.
That's a significant decrease from 2023, when 171 weapons arrests were made with another 127 for drugs.
With arrests down, so are officer uses of force and assaults on police.
Ocean City reports 108 officers were assaulted in 2024, four less than 2023.
There were 18 taser deployments in 2024, opposed to 26 in 2023.
Last year saw a slight increase in homicides. In 2023 there were zero, but in 2024 one murder was recorded.
Sex offenses and aggravated assaults were each down year over year, while robberies remained the same at five.
Ocean City saw lots of historical change in 2024.
First, the police department ended its longtime seasonal officer program.
Then, the boardwalk suspended its popular tram service after tragedy struck.
Also, the longtime police chief retired in November.
The entire report can be read here.
