The Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office recently released their 2023 Annual Report, which provides an overview of the year’s notable prosecutions, diversionary programs and the office’s priorities.
The report also highlights the office’s 100 percent clearance rate for the county’s 21 homicides in 2023. The national average for homicide clearances is approximately 65 percent, the office said.
“Our team of prosecutors, staff and county detectives are doing terrific work in serving, protecting and keeping Montgomery County safe, and I’m very proud to highlight their work in this 2023 Annual Report,” said District Attorney Kevin R. Steele. “Our office is a state and national exemplar for how to balance crime and safety with deserving second chances and diversionary programs. We are dedicated to continuing to build on our success in and out of the courtroom.”
Gun Crimes and Gun Trafficking
Since 2020, the Detective Bureau has made arrests for gun trafficking involving nearly 1,000 illegal guns, the office said.
Organized Retail Theft
“Montgomery County has not been immune to the organized retail crime groups. However, detectives and prosecutors have been proactively working with national and local retailers and their loss prevention experts to stop these theft rings on the front end,” the office said. “At the same time, we’re working to investigate, arrest and prosecute members of organized retail theft organizations to stop this widespread theft that drains retailers and financially impacts all residents.”
Addiction Epidemic/Overdose Deaths

Overdose deaths held steady in 2023 at 190 deaths after a significant drop in 2022.
“The DA’s Office continues its multiple-avenue efforts to impact overdose deaths by investigating and prosecuting drug traffickers, including investigating all overdose deaths as potential homicides,” the office said.
The office handled 8,020 adult criminal cases, with 1,049 of those cases going through the Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition program, which provides a second chance for non-violent offenders.
The Juvenile Division handled 2,127 court hearings involving 595 juvenile adjudications.
The Youth Aid Panel program, the restorative justice program for juveniles who commit non violent crimes, handled the cases of 700 juveniles, who were diverted from the juvenile court system.
The Appellate Division handled 61 appeals dispositions with a 92 percent success rate in upholding convictions won in Montgomery County courts.
Drug Disposal Program
More than 119,000 pounds of unwanted meds have been collected and safely destroyed since the program began in 2010.
The full report can be found here.
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Graph courtesy Montgomery County District Attorney