The Baltimore Police Department (BPD) has released its Year 4 Review of Accomplishments of its Crime Reduction & Departmental Transformation Plan. The review outlines accomplishments from July 1, 2019, to March 31, 2023, that emphasize the Department’s increased efficiency, proactivity and crime-fighting measures.

Overall, there has been a 16% reduction in violent crime citywide since 2018. Property crime has decreased 26% citywide since 2018. Between Quarter 1 2022 and Quarter 1 2023, Baltimore saw a 24% reduction in shootings and a 21% reduction in homicides.

Additionally, BPD has seen a 280% increase in total proactive engagements since 2019, a 33% increase in gun arrests since 2019 and a 22% increase in gun seizures since 2019.

 “During my tenure at the BPD, investments in our sworn and professional members, facilities, technology, training and community relationships have helped to reform the Department and create efficiencies and better working conditions agency-wide,” said Commissioner Michael Harrison. “We have come a long way in the last four years. I am extremely proud and thankful to all of the members of the Department who worked tirelessly to get us where we are now.”

The report highlights such initiatives as:

Group Violence Reduction Strategy – As a result of GVRS, the Western District saw a 34% reduction in homicides and shootings with no evidence of displacement. GVRS is now scaling up and expanding to the Southwestern District, moving next to the Central District, and ultimately all other Districts.

Modernizing & Building the Department for the Future – The completion of significant projects will provide our officers with better working environments and tools to do their jobs. This includes new facilities and vehicles, as well as new technology.

Connecting Operations with Data-Driven Tools and Strategies – Implementing data-driven strategies helps to successfully guide the operations and management of the Department. Improvements include: Redesigned COMSTAT, launched Baltimore City Intelligence Centers (BCICs), instituted and surpassed first response time goal of 10 minutes.

Reimagining Policing in Baltimore – By implementing the Mayor’s vision of Reimagining Policing in Baltimore with new policies and tools, BPD was able to use smarter, ground-breaking innovations to maximize staffing capacity, eliminate unnecessary calls for service, lessen administrative burdens and streamline officer workload.

Serving as the National Model for Policing – BPD is setting the standard for how modern police departments should operate by providing technical assistance and overall guidance to more than 40 law enforcement agencies and institutions around the world.

“BPD is modeling best practices for policy and procedures that set the example for law enforcement agencies across the country and around the world,” writes Commissioner Harrison in the introduction to the report. “We have come a long way in four years, as BPD has truly become the greatest comeback story in America.”

The Year 4 Review highlights the following achievements of the Baltimore Police Department:

• Citywide crime reduction
• Enforcement and proactivity measures
• Strengthening local, state and federal partnerships
• Stronger accountability with Public Integrity Bureau
• National Model of Best Practices

View the Year 4 Crime Reduction & Departmental Transformation Plan.

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