A trend of declining crime rates in Baltimore County continued into a third year as officials announced Monday that violent crime decreased 7.5 percent and over all crime decreased by 7.4 percent in 2009 compared to 2008.

In fact, the county enjoyed a decline in crime in six of eight major crime categories tracked by the FBI, according to statistics released Monday by the county.

“You are safer today in Baltimore County than you were in 1976,” said Police Chief Jim Johnson during a Monday news conference, referencing statistics showing crimes per 100,000 county residents were lower in 2009 than they were 33 years before.

Johnson credited improving technology for the continued drop in county crime rates.

Robberies, aggravated assaults, burglaries, thefts, motor vehicle thefts and arsons all showed decreases. Only murders and rapes increased in 2009 compared to 2008.

Last year, there were 32 murders compared to 30 the year before. In September, police officials noted the county had two more murders in the first six months of 2009 compared to the same period in 2008.

At the time, the increase was attributed to an April murder-suicide in a Towson hotel.

In that case, William Parente, a tax and estate lawyer, killed his wife, Betty, and the couple’s two children — Stephanie, 19, and Catherine, 11 — in the Sheraton Baltimore North Hotel. Parente then took his own life.

In addition to lower crime rates, County Executive Jim Smith said police maintain crime clearance rates above national averages.

“Last year, our officers had a 75 percent clearance rate for violent crimes — which is 30 percent higher than the national clearance rate,” Smith said, adding that homicide detectives maintain a 78 percent clearance rate for murders.

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