The Diamondback’s data reporters covered crime, sports team travel and university policy stories that impacted the University of Maryland community in 2024. Here are six graphics that highlight The Diamondback’s data work this year.
UMPD spent more than $135,000 on AI gunshot detection technology
The University of Maryland Police Department has spent more than $135,000 from 2017 to 2023 on AI gunshot detection despite concerns about the technology’s accuracy, according to records obtained by The Diamondback.
UMPD used ShotSpotter, an artificial intelligence-based acoustic gunshot detection system deployed in 2015, to notify police in the event of an active shooting on campus. But the technology could produce false positives that could lead to privacy and public safety issues, according to experts and activists.
Leaked data published by WIRED in February revealed 12 ShotSpotter sensors on campus.
UMD received more than $46 million from Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman between 2010 and 2023
Two major defense contractors, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman, have donated more than $46 million to the University of Maryland from 2010 to November 2023, according to data obtained by The Diamondback.
The defense contractors gave more than $16 million to the engineering school in the same time period, according to The Diamondback’s analysis. Since Oct. 7, 2023, Israel’s military offensives in Palestine have sparked nationwide protests calling for university divestment from defense companies.
Maryland football traveled more than 3,900 miles in 2024 for Big Ten conference games, according to a November analysis by The Diamondback.
The Terps are scheduled to travel 4,287 miles next season, more than double the mileage it embarked on in 2022, after the Big Ten most recently expanded to include Oregon, USC, UCLA and Washington.
The number of stolen and attempted vehicle thefts reported to UMPD more than tripled between 2022 and 2023
UMPD recorded 31 incidents of stolen and attempted stolen vehicles in 2023 compared to just nine cases the year before, according to an April Diamondback analysis.
UMPD spokesperson Lt. Rosanne Hoaas said about half of the stolen and attempted stolen vehicle reports in 2023 involved Kia and Hyundai models. The report spike also reflected regional and national trends, Hoaas added.
E-scooter and electric bike thefts more than doubled between 2022 and 2023
E-scooters and e-bike thefts accounted for about 67 percent of motor vehicle thefts in 2023, according to UMPD’s annual security report.
This was primarily because of a rise in e-scooter theft, The Diamondback reported in November. Hoaas said unattended vehicles and improper use of bike locks can make people more vulnerable to micromobility theft.
Maryland women’s soccer team performance plummets in the last four seasons
Maryland’s women’s soccer has attempted fewer shots in Big Ten conference games from 2021 to 2024 and failed to score any goals in 2023.
The Terps scored just three goals out of 66 shot attempts against conference opponents this year. They also secured only one conference win this season and dealt with the departure of coach Meghan Ryan Nemzer.
