Baltimore leaders discuss continued efforts to combat city's crime

Baltimore City leaders gathered at City Hall on Tuesday to discuss the continued effort to knock down violent crime.

The final safety oversight hearing of the year allowed Baltimore Police, the Mayor's Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement (MONSE), and other groups to update the city council on the state of the city's crime.

City's partners spark a decrease in crime

MONSE director Stefani Mavronis took center stage to discuss the historic drop in gun violence.

She spoke about Safe Streets, a program to reduce gun violence, which is now 80% staffed, thanks to vetting and background checks by the Baltimore Police Department.

"Other cities have had success with violence prevention work and focused deterrents, but have lost gains when they diverted from the strategy," Mavronis said. "And it is a big part of what we're seeing here with the consistent declines is that we've stayed focused on our strategy."

Some questions from the committee members included who pays for the Safe Streets background checks and how they measure the quality of Safe Streets mediation.

"We have a team liaison that goes around to the sites, and we have technical assistance to provide each staff member, the violence interrupters, the site directors, just checking the validity of the data that's being put in," said Arnetta Shelton, the CVI Director.

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said on December 1 that the city has seen a 29.8% decrease in homicides and a 25.2% decline in non-fatal shootings.

He added that police have seized more than 2,300 firearms this year, while aggravated assaults are down 11%, auto thefts are down 29%, carjackings are down 36%, and robberies are down 29% compared to this time last year.

As of Tuesday, Dec. 9, Baltimore police have responded to 127 homicides, compared to 181 at this time in 2024. There have also been 297 non-fatal shootings, compared to 393 to this point last year.

"This progress is the direct result of our entire CVI ecosystem — the brave men and women of the Baltimore Police Department, our community violence intervention ecosystem, the State's Attorney's Office, my Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement, the Office of the Attorney General, and most importantly, our residents — working toward a shared vision for a safer Baltimore," Mayor Scott said.  "As we enter the last month of the year, we are doubling down on our work to continue this progress into 2026 and beyond. One life lost to violence is one too many."

Issues with MONSE, State's Attorney's Office

Aside from the progress discussed, there was also some concern, specifically about the recent announcement from City Attorney Ivan Bates that he will no longer coordinate with MONSE.

"I am concerned about that break and what that means for the progress of our city," said Mark Conway, the chair of the public safety committee.

"Out of respect for the City State's Attorney and the mayor, I am not going to address any of those issues today," said a member of the City State's Attorney's Office.

"If we're seeing numbers continue to go down and we're seeing everyone is doing a great job, we have to keep that going," said committee member Paris Gray. "So any squabbles that anyone or everyone has must stop."

A representative from the Mayor's Office said Mayor Scott and City State's Attorney Bates will be meeting to hopefully resume the partnership.

At this point, it's not clear when that meeting will be.