Baltimore, MD – The city of Baltimore has experienced a significant and sustained reduction in its homicide rate, with 2025 recording the lowest number of murders since 1977. This dramatic decline marks a 60% decrease from the 2022 peak of 334 homicides, with the city reporting 133 homicides in 2025. The turnaround follows a shift in prosecutorial strategy and the implementation of targeted violence intervention programs.
The significant drop in violent crime coincides with the tenure of State's Attorney Ivan Bates, who took office in 2023. Bates, a Democrat, campaigned on a platform emphasizing stricter enforcement against repeat violent offenders. This approach contrasted with his predecessor, Marilyn Mosby, who averaged 333 homicides annually during her eight years in office and faced criticism for declining to use mandatory minimum sentences.
Bates's office has actively utilized Maryland law allowing five-year sentences without parole for convicted felons caught carrying a gun, a measure previously underused. In his first two years, Bates's office sent over 2,000 repeat violent offenders to prison, doubling his predecessor's total. This aggressive prosecution strategy is credited with changing criminal behavior, as "shooters know they'll get caught and actually prosecuted," according to the initial social media post.
Complementing the prosecutorial shift, Baltimore also implemented a precision intervention program designed to identify and engage individuals driving most of the city's violence. This program led to 631 arrests, with 94% of those arrested not reoffending. Police efforts also resulted in the seizure of 2,480 firearms in 2025, including numerous ghost guns, while maintaining a 64% homicide clearance rate.
The positive impact extends beyond homicides, with carjackings down 51% and robberies decreasing by 24%. Even Sandtown-Winchester, historically one of the city's most violent neighborhoods, recently achieved a full year without a killing. Former State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby, whose approach was criticized in the tweet, was later convicted of perjury in November 2023, though her mortgage fraud conviction was overturned on appeal in July 2025.
