Baltimore City State’s Attorney Ivan Bates attributes the decline to enforcing mandatory minimums and strengthening federal partnerships.
In Baltimore, official figures indicate a substantial decline in the number of homicides in 2025, continuing a multi-year downward trend that local prosecutors attribute to intensified efforts against repeat violent offenders. According to data from the office of the Baltimore City State’s Attorney, the city recorded 134 homicides in 2025, compared with 202 in 2024, 263 in 2023, and 334 in 2022.
In an interview with Fox News Digital, Baltimore State’s Attorney Ivan Bates pointed to tough-on-crime prosecution as the reason for the city’s drop in homicides in 2025.
Baltimore City State’s Attorney Ivan Bates, who assumed office in January 2023, has pointed to changes in prosecutorial strategy as a central factor in the decline. Bates and his office placed renewed emphasis on enforcing mandatory minimum sentences for individuals convicted of repeat violent offenses, a policy area his team said had been applied unevenly in the past. Under this approach, prosecutors sought longer prison terms for repeat offenders, particularly those involved in gun crimes.
According to state data, the proportion of repeat violent offenders who were sentenced after conviction has increased since Bates took office. While a minority of such defendants received sentences in 2022, the percentage rose in subsequent years. Bates has argued that removing a segment of high-risk individuals from the streets for longer periods has contributed to the overall reduction in violent crime.
The statistics also show that arrests of repeat gun offenders have decreased, a trend officials have interpreted as indicating fewer such offenders remaining at large. Additionally, Bates highlighted increased cooperation between local prosecutors and federal law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, DEA and ATF, as part of the broader strategy to address violent crime.
With 133 homicides recorded in 2025, Baltimore reached its lowest count in nearly 50 years, completing a historic three-year drop during the Bates-Scott administration.(Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office)
Authorities investigate a mass shooting in Baltimore County along the 8500 block of Loch Raven Boulevard.
While the citywide homicide rate has fallen, some areas of Baltimore, including certain entertainment districts, have continued to experience shootings, according to commentary from local law enforcement analysts. The decline in homicides in Baltimore aligns with wider national trends, with data from the Council on Criminal Justice showing decreases in several major crime categories across numerous U.S. cities in 2025.
Rioting and looting broke out on April 27, 2015, at the intersection of North and Pennsylvania Avenues, resulting in a CVS store being set ablaze.
Officials involved in the criminal justice system have emphasized that sustained reductions in violent crime may depend on a combination of continued enforcement and investment in programs that support individuals leaving the criminal justice system.