Maryland Transit Administration logged 11 percent drop in serious crimes in 2015

Serious crimes on the Maryland Transit Administration's (MTA) buses and trains fell 11 percent year-over-year in 2015, the agency announced last week.

Additionally, the agency last year cleared 70 percent of the robbery cases that occurred on its system, MTA officials said in a press release.

MTA Chief of Police John Gavrilis attributed the decrease to efforts by the agency's police force.

"Combined with the use of advanced technology and regular training of our officers, we continue to send the message that crime will not be tolerated on our system," he said.

In 2015, MTA had the lowest number of "Part I" crimes among the top 12 transit agencies in the United States. Part I crimes include aggravated assault, arson, burglary, criminal homicide, rape, larceny theft and robbery, MTA officials said.