Mayor Brandon M. Scott Statement on Decline in Homicides Through September 2026
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BALTIMORE, MD (Thursday, October 1, 2026) — Today, Mayor Brandon M. Scott announced that as of October 1, 2026, Baltimore City continues to see sustained progress on public safety, with homicides down 15.3% (83 in 2026, compared to 98 at this time in 2025), and nonfatal shootings down 4.2% (226 in 2026, compared to 236 at this time in 2025).
“The continued progress we have seen since we launched this strategy in September 2022 did not happen by accident; it was the result of tireless, daily work by our BPD officers and law enforcement partners, Baltimore’s Group Violence Reduction Strategy, MONSE staff, prosecutors, everyone involved in our community violence intervention ecosystem, and most importantly, the people of Baltimore,” said Mayor Brandon M. Scott. “Looking ahead, we cannot take these gains for granted. We have to continue to double and triple down on the strategies that are making our communities safer.”
Crime continues to decrease across other major categories. As of September 30, 2026, carjackings are down 38%, burglaries are down 17%, and total robberies are down 11% compared to this time in 2025. Additionally, so far this year, the Baltimore Police Department has seized over 1,526 firearms, including 150 ghost guns, and made 912 gun arrests.
Baltimore’s Group Violence Reduction Strategy (GVRS), a key partnership between the Baltimore Police Department (BPD), the Mayor’s Office, prosecutors, and community members, which focuses on violent social networks responsible for driving the majority of the violence in Baltimore, has seen success balancing services and accountability. As of September 29, 2026, GVRS has led to over 684 arrests and connected over 423 individuals to life coaching and wraparound services through YAP, Inc., and Roca since it was first launched in BPD’s Western District in 2022. Approximately 91% of GVRS participants have not been revictimized after being enrolled in services.
Safe Streets Baltimore, the City’s flagship community violence intervention program, has seen six of its ten sites, Belvedere, Park Heights, Woodbourne-McCabe, Sandtown, Penn North, and McElderry Park reach a milestone of over 365 days without a homicide within their respective catchment zones so far this year. As of September 29, 2026, Safe Streets frontline intervention staff have successfully mediated over 1,036 potentially violent conflicts and referred over 425 residents at-risk of being involved in violence to wraparound support services so far this year.
Baltimore’s progress comes as a growing body of academic research assesses the city’s dramatic reduction in violent crime. In June, the University of Pennsylvania's Crime and Justice Policy Lab released a new National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) paper that found Baltimore’s Group Violence Reduction Strategy (GVRS) played a key role in Baltimore’s historic reductions in homicides. In May, research from the Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Gun Violence Solutions found Baltimore’s Safe Streets program was associated with a sharp reduction in youth homicides.
Mayor Brandon M. Scott and MONSE are continuing to engage the public in the process to develop the City's second Comprehensive Violence Prevention Plan (CVPP), which will be a new five-year roadmap to build on the historic progress of the last five years and deepen the City's commitment to a holistic, community- and trauma-centered public safety approach from 2026-2031 (Fiscal Year '27-Fiscal Year '31). This next plan will be finalized and officially released by early Fall of 2026. Residents are encouraged to share feedback on the plan through the public survey or directly via email to monse@baltimorecity.gov.
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