Baltimore is experiencing one of the safest periods in modern city history, according to newly released crime statistics. Under the leadership of Mayor Brandon Scott, the city has reached its lowest homicide totals in more than 50 years, marking a dramatic shift from the violence that defined Baltimore for decades.

Officials report that homicides and non-fatal shootings continue to decline, with 2026 on pace to outperform the record-setting reductions seen in 2025. May 2026 recorded just eight homicides—the city’s first single-digit homicide month in more than five decades. Other violent crimes, including robberies, burglaries, and carjackings, have also fallen significantly.

Mayor Scott has credited the improvements to a combination of targeted policing, the Group Violence Reduction Strategy, expanded violence intervention programs, and partnerships among law enforcement, community organizations, and city residents. At the same time, he has emphasized that every act of violence remains one too many and that public safety efforts must continue.

Public safety experts have also pointed to Baltimore’s sustained decline in violence over several years, suggesting the reductions are the result of long-term strategies rather than short-term fluctuations.

While political leaders and analysts may disagree over which policies deserve the most credit, the crime statistics themselves show Baltimore has made measurable progress in reducing violent crime compared with recent decades.