Baltimore’s Murder Rate Hits Decade Low As Ivan Bates Credits Targeting Repeat Violent Offenders

Baltimore City recorded 201 homicides in 2024, marking its lowest count since 2011 and continuing a downward trend from 261 homicides in 2023. However, city officials disagree on what’s driving the improvement.

While Mayor Brandon Scott credits his comprehensive crime plan, including the Group Violence Reduction Strategy (GVRS), City State’s Attorney Ivan Bates attributes the decline to his office’s more aggressive prosecution efforts. Bates argues that GVRS, which has served 201 people since its inception, isn’t extensive enough to create such significant change.

Under Bates’ leadership, his office has increased its attorney staff from 141 to 185 and received $2 million in state funding to improve body-camera footage review. The results show in the numbers: between 2023 and 2024, out of 2,443 felony gun cases, 1,723 resulted in jail time, compared to just 781 cases between 2021 and 2022.

Bates emphasizes a targeted approach focusing on repeat violent offenders, advocating for shorter prison terms of three to five years rather than lengthy sentences. While he downplays GVRS’s direct impact on homicide reduction, he acknowledges its importance in providing services to those returning from incarceration.

The State’s Attorney credits stronger partnerships between local, state, and federal agencies for the improved numbers, particularly highlighting collaboration with U.S. Attorney Erek Barron. “This is a team win for everybody,” Bates said, “whether you’re the Mayor with GVRS, whether you’re the prosecutors in the State’s Attorney’s Office, whether you are the person who’s with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, or with the police department.”