West Hyattsville Metro Sees Lots of Crime, Arrests in First Quarter

Over the first three months of the year, the West Hyattsville Metro station had the worst crime rate out of the 20 Metro stations in Maryland. 

West Hyattsville was the overall eighth most crime-ridden Metro station in the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority system through the first quarter of 2012. It was the only Maryland station to make the top 10 list for the first quarter. All the other stations in the top 10 are located in Washington, D.C.

According to documents presented to Metro's Board of Directors, the West Hyattsville station saw 13 property crimes reported between January and March. Police also made 11 arrests at the station; three for pickpocketing, six for bicycle thefts, one arrest for driving on a suspended license, another arrest on a warrant. 

The Prince George's Plaza Metro Station had the 26h worst crime rate over the same time period, with six property crimes and two arrests reported. Those numbers made it the 10th most crime ridden station in Maryland between January and March. 

Systemwide, transit police responded to more than 15,000 calls for service. Overall, there was a 30 percent spike in reported crimes throughout the Metro system in the first quarter of 2012, according to WTOP, however Metro officials explain that much of that spike was the result of "Crime Suppression Teams" which bait criminals like pickpockets and bicycle thieves with tempting items. 

For instance, of the 96 pickpocket crimes committed on Metro, 70 of them were the result of crime suppression team activity. 

In all, crime suppression teams made 147 arrests by essentially creating new opportunities for criminals to ply their trade before springing their trap. Take those out, argue WMATA officials, and the number of reported crimes in the first quarter of 2012 goes down to 351, the lowest in at least four years.