Loudoun County's crime rate is down 36 percent, according to FBI statistics this year.
Loudoun County Sheriff's Department spokesperson Kraig Troxell said there are a number of factors for the drop in county crime.
"We cannot forget about the growth in population," Troxell said. "Crime is still increasing to a point, but the county is growing rapidly, with 1,200 new residents moving in every month. It has to be factored into the statistics."
Population growth is a factor, but the Loudoun County Sheriff's Department has implemented new programs to diminish crime.
"We also believe programs like the community policing program have helped," Troxell said. The project stationed deputies in six eastern Loudoun communities, including the latest station, Ashburn Village. The Sheriff's Department will put deputies in western Loudoun communities in 2006, Troxell said.
The Northern Virginia Gang Task Force, as well as Loudoun County's gang task force have positively impacted the community. The state's task force includes large police department, like Fairfax County Police Department, as well as small ones like Leesburg's Sheriff's Department.
"It is important to share information because gangs do not stay in one place. They move around," Troxell said.