Maryland city records historic drop in homicide rate, officials say

• Baltimore, long plagued by gun violence, saw fewer than 300 homicides last year for the first time in nearly a decade, a 20% annual decline.
• City leaders say the decline is considered the largest on record and signals the success of Baltimore City's anti-violence efforts.
• Mayor Brandon Scott attributes this positive trend to a comprehensive violence strategy and treating gun violence as a public health crisis.

Baltimore, long plagued by rampant gun violence, recorded fewer than 300 murders last year for the first time in nearly a decade, ending a spike in homicides that began in 2015 following the death of Freddie Gray. was struck. The incident sparked civil unrest and widespread calls for police reform.

The 20% annual decline, which city leaders call the largest on record, suggests that Baltimore City's ongoing anti-violence efforts are having an impact.

“These efforts are finally paying off and lives are being saved,” Mayor Brandon Scott said at a news conference earlier this week.

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Baltimore's 2023 data is somewhat reflective of the nation, as many cities have reported declines in the past few months after the peak of the pandemic.

But this positive trend is bittersweet for the people of Baltimore, whose loved ones were among the 263 people killed in the city last year. On Wednesday night, dozens of mourners gathered outside City Hall for a candlelight vigil where elected officials and community leaders read the names of the victims aloud.

“We're a long way from our goal, but 20% is a significant number and we need to celebrate,” said Ray Kelly, a longtime Baltimore police reform activist who attended the vigil. “This will mean 60 fewer families will receive heartbreaking news.”

It's virtually impossible to pinpoint the specific cause of the decline, but officials and residents point to factors that likely contributed, including law enforcement efforts and community support. The increase in youth violence starting in early 2023 has added urgency to this effort.

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Scott, a Democrat who is up for re-election this year, will treat gun violence as a public health crisis and seek to address its root causes with a combination of targeted enforcement and resources and social programs to help people. declared the regime's comprehensive strategy of violence. Please choose another path.

These efforts coincided with a series of court-ordered police reform measures aimed at curbing unconstitutional police practices. The city's police department was placed under a federal consent decree after the Justice Department launched an investigation after Gray died from a spinal cord injury while being transported in a police van.

Since then, Baltimore's annual homicide count has remained stubbornly above 300, representing an undesirable high water mark in a city that consistently ranks among the most violent per capita in the country. It became so.

Scott noted that last year's drop in homicides was also accompanied by a decline in unconstitutional arrests. A recent report from the city's Consent Decree Monitoring Team says police officers are making fewer arrests without probable cause.

“There's still a lot of work to do,” said Baltimore Police Chief Richard Worley. “I think we’ve shown over the last few years that you can reduce crime and reform police departments at the same time.”

Nonfatal shootings also fell by about 7% last year, according to data from the Baltimore Police Department, although gun violence in neighboring Washington, D.C., skyrocketed.

Baltimore homicide detectives solved about 45% of cases in 2023, a slight increase from the previous year, despite a worsening staffing shortage that has severely affected the department, agency officials said. said. Nationally, murder clearance rates hover between 50% and 60%.

Officials say solving cases can bring closure to families and help build public trust, but the problem of curbing gun violence goes far beyond solid police work.

“Police are not going to solve this problem alone. There's just no way,” Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Director Stephen Dettelbach said after a news conference in Baltimore Thursday morning.

Maryland U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron said targeted enforcement is key. He said police and prosecutors are using limited resources to pursue a relatively small number of known triggermen.

Local, state and federal law enforcement leaders touted a joint effort to target Baltimore's most violent criminals, dismantle drug trafficking organizations and seize illegal guns.

Baltimore police are investigating more high-powered gun cases, in part by working with federal investigators and using ballistics technology to track individual firearms. As a result, prosecutors are prosecuting more firearms cases in federal court, and defendants often face harsher penalties, they said.

About six months after taking office in December 2020, Scott announced a five-year plan aimed at reducing gun violence in Baltimore by 15% annually. He created a new office to oversee anti-violence efforts, including the city's flagship Safe Streets program, and hired a conflict mediator with credibility and street knowledge.

The plan also includes a group violence reduction strategy, which is currently being developed. The organization works with the Baltimore Police Department and community organizations to target potential shooters and victims, providing them with services and support such as employment opportunities, therapy, and life coaching. Similar efforts have been successful in other cities.

While the numbers are encouraging, city officials and community leaders acknowledged there remains a significant gap in meeting the needs of young black men in Baltimore's poorest and most overlooked neighborhoods. Most perpetrators of violence grow up in poverty and attend low-performing schools. Evidence of the local drug trade is everywhere, and the streets are lined with vacant houses.

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For Brunetta Fair, whose brother was shot and killed last spring, the city's recent progress has brought little comfort to her family.

“It’s still not enough,” she said. “We understand that the numbers are going down, but it’s not enough.”

Clifton Pear, 59, died May 10 from multiple gunshot wounds, police said. The Baltimore native joined the military after high school and left behind two adult children, his sister said.

“He came home from work, stopped to talk to a neighbor and ended up dying,” Brunetta Fair said. She attended Wednesday's vigil to honor her brother's memory and remind city officials that the case remains unsolved and her family is still waiting for answers.