Property crimes in the Bethesda-Chevy Chase police district decreased last year, but robberies were up, Capt. David Falcinelli—commander of the Montgomery County Police Department's 2nd District—reported in a letter to residents on Thursday.

The 2nd District experienced double-digit reductions in every major category of property crimes in 2012, Falcinelli reported:

• Residential burglaries decreased by 40 percent (357 to 214).
• Commercial burglaries decreased by 17 percent (103 to 85).
• Thefts from vehicles decreased by 23 percent (1175 to 901).
• Stolen vehicles decreased by 40 percent (172 to 102). .

"These decreases are especially significant as property crimes are the majority of the crimes that occur here." 

Falcinelli attributed some of the decrease in property crimes to assistance provided to police by residents: "[Many] of our arrests last year were a direct result of your observation and reporting of crimes and/or suspicious situations." 

But not all types of crimes decreased last year in the 2nd District. The number of street and commercial robberies increased by 35 percent (from 42 to 57). Arrests were made in several cases, Falcinelli added.

Police in the 2nd District also issued more than 20,000 traffic citations in 2012 and used "tag reader technology, which is allowing officers to identify suspended/revoked drivers and remove them from the road, in addition to recovering stolen vehicles/tags," Falcinelli added.