The Baltimore Police Department released its 2025 year-end report, announcing landmark achievements in reductions in violent crime, hiring and attrition accomplishments, and reforms in line with the federal consent decree.
Homicides decreased by 31% (194 to 133) and non-fatal shootings declined by 24% (412 to 311).* Carjackings decreased by 37% and commercial robberies decreased by 16%. BPD overhauled the Citywide Robbery Unit, helping the agency close the year with an overall robbery clearance rate of 44%, which is an improvement of 15% over 2024’s clearance rate.
Homicides are at the lowest rate in 50 years and over the past five years down 58.69%. Also in the last five years, nonfatal shootings are down 57.33%. To acknowledge these and other achievements, Mayor Brandon M. Scott, Police Commissioner Richard Worley, and Stefanie Mavronis, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement, released the following statement:
“The progress we made this year was thanks to the tireless efforts of the men and women of BPD, our community violence interruptors, the Attorney General and State’s Attorney’s Offices, our state and federal law enforcement partners, and most importantly, Baltimore residents, who have embraced our comprehensive violence prevention strategy and helped to make it successful. 133 homicides is still 133 too many. But we are seeing the positive impact of our work each and every day—not just in the data, but in the lives of the residents we serve. It takes all of us to build on this progress as we mark the beginning of another year and reaffirm our commitment to ending violence in our city.”
“Public safety is our top priority, and I am incredibly proud of the men and women of the Baltimore Police Department whose determination and commitment continue to make a meaningful impact,” Worley said. “We understand that progress requires trust, collaboration, and sustained efforts. By working alongside our communities and partners, we will build on these successes to ensure every resident feels safe, supported, and secure.”
According to the FBI’s National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS), Group A crime declined by 10% compared to last year. All categories were down except for larcenies. BPD attributes this to its continued restructuring and significant increases in clearance rates (percentage of solved crimes reported or discovered), which exceed national averages in many categories.
BPD unified the investigative resources under the Criminal Investigation Division, held daily crime calls, and improved intelligence sharing. It also expanded the use of data-driven deployments to match emerging crime trends.
In addition to reduction in violent crime and increases in clearance rates, BPD saw personnel improvements in 2025. Sworn hiring increased from 164 (2024) to 241 (2025), a 47% increase. This momentum was driven by a new recruitment campaign and resulted in 46% of the new hires coming from Baltimore City.
The department exceeded its gender diversity goal, with women accounting for 33% of 2025 hires, surpassing the 30×30 target. Cadet hiring nearly doubled, going from 14 to 27, and professional hiring filled 598 professional positions — a record.
As for attrition, BPD recorded a historic low of 158 sworn members separating from the department, a 14% reduction from 2025. BPD attributes this to competitive pay increases, investments in modern equipment and technology, enhanced training, and the expansion of comprehensive health and wellness programs designed to support officers through the demands of modern-day policing.
“2025 was another year of incredible progress for our city and for the Baltimore Police Department,” Scott said. “Each and every day, the men and women of BPD worked to hold individuals accountable for causing harm in our communities. They continued to restore trust with our residents—including by meeting additional requirements of the Consent Decree. And they helped us deliver on the comprehensive strategies that are driving down violence across our city. I often say it takes all of us to build a safer, healthier Baltimore, and I could not be more grateful for the role BPD has played in that work this year.”
Furthermore, BPD sustained compliance in two sections of the consent decree governing the department, with five additional sections in the sustainment period. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the department entered into the decree in 2017 after the DOJ’s investigation that followed Freddie Gray’s death in police custody. There were 17 sections of the consent decree in all, two of which were declared fulfilled in April 2025.
More than 40% of the actionable sections of the consent decree are completed. BPD worked with the Monitoring Team to file 10 annual and quarterly reports with updates on the department’s progress. The reports included Use of Force Data Analysis, Supervision Assessment, Behavioral Health, Sexual Assault and more.
BPD also revised its Crisis Intervention Plan, with more than 28% of patrol officers completing Crisit Intervention Training (CIT). That is an increase from 2024’s 21% completion rate.
Scott appeared on CNN’s News Central with Omar Jimenez and gave credit to all facets of the community who contributed to what he called “Baltimore’s victory.” He remarked that they were not celebrating, though, and understand that much work lies ahead.
“We needed a comprehensive approach to reducing gun violence through the lens of public health, because gun violence is a public health issue, and focusing on all of the things, not one of the things, right?” Scott said on CNN. “We have our group violence reduction strategy. We focus our police on the small groups of folks who are most likely to be the victim or perpetrator of gun violence, and we give those folks opportunities.”
“That work goes alongside the work that our police officers do every day, seizing over 2,400 guns,” Scott continued. “And then we also have our historic investments into community violence intervention through Safe Streets, through We Are Us, through The Peace Team, our hospital-based responders, our community groups…. We’re doing all the things. Our police are making a great, solid cases for our Attorney General, state’s attorney, and even our US Attorney here to prosecute. Everyone is working together.”
*Prior year figures reflect the updates to the process of counting historical homicides, which was adjusted under the FBI’s National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) earlier this year. The change results from the reclassification of historical homicides, placing them into the appropriate calendar year when the incident occurred. See more here.
