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2d ago

Baltimore Homicides Hit 50-Year Low as City Unveils Five-Year Violence-Reduction Plan

Leaders credit outreach and tougher prosecutions, now hunting for funding beyond one-time federal aid.

Mayor Brandon M. Scott, left, said the late Anthony Barksdale, deputy mayor for public safety, would be proud of Baltimore's historic decline in homicides in 2025. Behind Scott is Baltimore State's Attorney Ivan J. Bates. Lisa Molock, executive director of Let’s Thrive Baltimore, and Erricka Bridgeford, executive director at Baltimore Community Mediation Center and co-founder of Baltimore Peace Movement, embrace in front of City Councilman Mark Conway during a news conference Monday at Doxa Ministries Church Without Walls. Politicians, civic leaders and other officials touted the progress in lowering violent crime. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff)
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Overview

  • Police reported 133 homicides in 2025, down 31% from 2024, along with 311 nonfatal shootings and broader drops in carjackings, robberies and auto thefts, as clearance rates improved.
  • Mayor Brandon Scott announced a new five-year strategy that targets at least a 15% yearly decline in killings and calls for expanding the Group Violence Reduction Strategy.
  • City officials said sustaining and scaling prevention work will require creative financing as American Rescue Plan money winds down, including more general-fund and philanthropic support.
  • Scott and State’s Attorney Ivan Bates made a joint appearance after a recent rift, signaling renewed coordination as Bates continues to emphasize aggressive prosecutions.
  • Analysts place Baltimore’s gains within a wider national decline and attribute progress to outreach plus tougher prosecutions, while community advocates urge attention to visible quality-of-life problems such as open-air drug dealing in Penn North.