Baltimore Police Releases 2024 Mid-Year Crime Report Showing 36% Drop in Homicides

By FOX45
Posted on 07/08/24 | News Source: FOX45

On Monday, Baltimore Police Department released their mid-year crime report for 2024.

Officials say the police department has seen a 36% decrease in homicides and a 30% decrease in non-fatal shootings.

The police department says the clearance rates for homicides has improved to 70.1%, an increase of 24% from this time last year.

In response to these positive statistics, Baltimore City Councilman Yitzy Schleifer commented: “I commend Commissioner Worley for responding to our calls for additional detectives, which has significantly improved case clearance rates and removed more criminals from the streets of Baltimore.”

This year, the Department has arrested 53 suspects for homicides and there are open warrants for seven additional suspects, according to the report.

The suspects range in age from 18 to 65, with 80% of them having prior records, and 20% of these suspects were previously arrested for a violent crime.

Also, BPD Civilian Investigators have assisted in more than 60 death investigations so far this year.

After Commissioner Worley’s restructuring of the department, the Criminal Investigation Bureau has seen a sharp increase in the homicide clearance rate.

The Baltimore police department says that the clearance rate for non-fatal shootings is 41.5%, according to the report.

The police department has also arrested 52 suspects for non-fatal shootings and there are open warrants for three additional suspects.

The suspects range in age from 13 to 69, with 77% of them having prior records. 10 individuals have been arrested more than 10 times and 62% of all non-fatal shooting suspects were previously arrested for a violent crime.

“The impressive progress we’ve made in violence reduction, other categories, and clearance rates is a result of the collective efforts of our entire public safety apparatus and our Comprehensive Violence Prevention Plan,” said Mayor Brandon M. Scott. “The work is not done, and continuing this progress is a daily task that we will not stop working on until no Baltimorean is lost to violence. I want to thank the hard work of everyone who has had a hand in this effort as we move into the second half of the year.”

2024 Mid-Year Key Highlights:

• Arrests are up 13%, including a 72% increase in misdemeanor drug arrests.
• In a partnership with the Chief Administrative Office and MONSE, BPD has conducted seven coordinated interagency responses in neighborhoods impacted by high rates of crime and violence. These interagency responses include addressing environmental issues and human service needs to help prevent crime.
• Juvenile victims of homicide and non-fatal shootings are down 41%.
• The Department has seized 1125 guns and 169 ghost guns, averaging seven gun seizures a day.
• BPD’s proactive enforcement has increased by 66%, including increasing our foot patrols and bike patrols by 211% and 68%, respectively.
• In the first half of the year, the Department has achieved “full and effective compliance,” in the Transport & Officer Assistance and Support sections of the Consent Decree, with more than 80% of the Consent Decree paragraphs being in initial compliance or on-track.
• BPD has conducted more than 20 internal audits and inspections to ensure adherence to policies and training, to improve operational efficiencies.
• With the addition of six new Civilian Investigators, the Public Integrity Bureau has reduced its closure time for internal investigations.

Police say as of July 8th, year-to-date homicides are down 33.8% (96 compared to 145) and non-fatal shootings are down 36.5% (217 compared to 342).