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6d ago

Baltimore Reports Lowest Midyear Homicides in Over 50 Years

Baltimore officials credit multi-pronged strategies for the city’s sharp drop in violence.

Gov. Wes Moore and Ivan Bates, State’s Attorney for Baltimore City, survey houses in the Four by Four neighborhood during a Community Walk with Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, officials and community members. On right is Eric Costello, District 11 council member.
During a news conference at City Police headquarters this morning, Police Commissioner Richard Worley, left, and Mayor Brandon Scott, right, announced the takedown of a drug trafficking organization that was operating in East Baltimore.

Overview

  • Baltimore recorded 68 homicides through June, a 22.7% drop from the same period last year, and saw a 19.6% decline in nonfatal shootings to record its lowest midyear total since the early 1970s.
  • The Group Violence Reduction Strategy, launched in January 2022, reduced group-linked homicides by 26% in its first year and has shown no evidence of crime displacement.
  • Prosecutions of serious gun offenses rose under State’s Attorney Ivan Bates, with felony gun cases up 12%, incarcerations up 121% and homicide convictions up 70% in 2023.
  • Community programs like Roca served 417 at-risk youth in 2023, with 91% showing improved behavioral health after 18 months and 72% avoiding new arrests after two years.
  • Three of Baltimore’s nine police districts saw flat or rising homicide counts, and recent police-involved shootings have highlighted ongoing challenges in community trust.