Violent Crime and Policing

Baltimore’s homicide count dropped to roughly 133–134 in 2025, down from 202 in 2024 and 334 in 2022, a nearly 60% decline over three years that State’s Attorney Ivan Bates credits to aggressively prosecuting repeat violent offenders and enforcing Maryland’s five‑year, no‑parole gun mandatory minimums. Bates, who took office in January 2023 after eight straight years over 300 murders, says his office has more than doubled the share of repeat violent offenders who receive prison time—from about 31% in 2022 to 65% in 2025—removing what he calls a small group driving most shootings and killings. State data show police arrests of repeat gun offenders are falling at the same time that the percentage of those convicted and sentenced is rising, which Bates argues reflects fewer chronic offenders left on the streets rather than softer policing. He also points to deeper cooperation with federal agencies like the FBI, DEA and ATF, and renewed capacity in a once‑understaffed State’s Attorney’s Office, as factors behind the Group Violence Reduction Strategy and recent takedowns of large drug organizations. The turnaround comes as national studies show homicides dropping in many big U.S. cities, and Baltimore’s experience is already being cited in online policy debates over whether focused deterrence, tougher sentencing, or broader social programs deserve credit for reversing pandemic‑era violence.