Posted on 09/02/25
| News Source: FOX45
Baltimore, MD - Sept. 2, 2025 - The city of Baltimore is experiencing a significant decline in violence, with the mayor declaring it the least-violent period in 50 years. The city's homicide rate has dropped by 29.5% compared to the same time last year, which the mayor attributes, in part, to the Group Violence Reduction Strategy (GVRS).
"Now that we're proving GVRS works, we're diving all the way in," the mayor said during his state of the city address this spring.
However, City State's Attorney Ivan Bates suggested that his office's efforts in removing repeat violent offenders from the streets have also played a crucial role. "They're no longer victims or shooters, so you're gonna naturally see a decrease in violent crime and murder numbers cause they're not there to shoot or be killed," Bates said.
Despite these claims, some experts argue that the decline in homicides may not be solely due to government actions. A sociologist and author, James Tuttle, believes that broader trends in gun, drug, and alcohol use are the real driving forces behind the decline in homicides.
"When I look at crime trends, I believe they're caused by something outside of government control," Tuttle said. "If you follow the trends in drugs, guns, and alcohol consumption, you'll get the same trend in homicides. And so as the drug epidemic declines, we will continue to see lower rates of homicide across the board."
Baltimore is not alone in experiencing a drop in homicides. Other major cities, including Los Angeles, Chicago, Portland, Detroit, New Orleans, New York, and Philadelphia, have also reported significant declines in their homicide rates this year.
"Baltimore got hit with the crime wave first, and it's now declining in a manner similar to other cities," Tuttle added.
As the numbers continue to decline, Baltimore's crimefighters remain committed to their efforts. "What we need to do is say... it's halftime... we've done a good job, but we have so much more work to do," said Bates.