By James Rada Jr.
News Editor

THURMONT, Md. – Thurmont had the second-largest drop in crime among Frederick County municipalities in 2006, according to the state of Maryland.

The 2006 Uniform Crime Report for Maryland shows that serious crime in Thurmont fell 22 percent to 1,420.8 crimes per 100,000 people. The crime rate is down 21.8 percent since 2004. The only Frederick County municipality with a larger drop was New Market, which saw a one-year decrease of 54.5 percent.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that crime in Thurmont is down,” Thurmont Police Chief Greg Eyler said. “We are being more proactive now and enforcing more things.”

The town had 86 serious crimes in 2006, including 51 larceny thefts, 19 breaking and entering, 9 aggravated assaults, 5 motor vehicle thefts and 2 robberies. The only area to show an increase from 2005 was breaking and entering.

“We did have a rash of breaking and enterings, but mostly it was the results of juveniles,” Eyler said.

Mayor Martin Burns was pleased by the numbers and the job of the town’s police force.

“We have a strong police force and quality officers,” Burns said. “And I believe Thurmont is a safe place to live and raise a kid.”

One area of concern for Eyler is that the town has had three armed robberies since 2005 and some of the cases haven’t been closed.

“It could be that we don’t have any leads, but we are trying to work on new things,” Eyler said.

Commissioner Bill Blakeslee, the liaison to the town’s police commission, said the town is doing a good job.

“Our police department has more retention now, which means we have more experienced officers on the street,” Blakeslee said

For anyone interested in speaking to Eyler about issues involving the police department can meet Eyler on July 30 at the town office at 7 p.m.

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