Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh unveiled new statistics showing that her administration is making a dent in homicides in five of the city's worst neighborhoods.
By the numbers, Baltimore is a city in crisis. With nearly half a month left in 2017, the city's yearly homicide statistics have already passed 2016's numbers. Baltimore has now recorded at least 321 homicides this year, three more than were recorded all of last year. A month ago, the city's mayor declared that crime was "out of control." Today, however, she is singing a different tune. On her one year anniversary of taking office, Mayor Catherine Pugh discounted the total 2017 murder statistics and announced she is confident that Baltimore is starting to turn the corner on its violent crime problem. "I think we’re trending in the right direction," Pugh told reporters at a recent news conference. What is the reason for her optimistic outlook? In five of the city's worst neighborhoods, homicides have fallen from 1.5 killings per week to just 1 killing per week since October 30. Non-fatal shootings have also fallen 55 percent over that same time period. While everyone is certainly happy to hear that two fewer people are dying every month in these five neighborhoods, this certainly isn't a reason to pop the champagne.
Murders predictably start to level off and decline in November and December as the weather gets colder and Mayor Pugh's statistics -- which she revealed on December 6 -- only account for a little more than a month. In November of 2016, Baltimore saw 28 homicides. This year, there were 23 homicides in November. If December sees even an average number of homicides, 2017 will have the most murders in Baltimore's history.
Still, Mayor Pugh is taking a victory lap and congratulating her administration for moving the needle. Her new policy initiative requires that 30 city government agency heads meet at police headquarters to coordinate their anti-crime efforts. On top of that, Pugh has steered resources earmarked for citywide police, fire, transportation, health, and park services to these five neighborhoods instead.
Not everyone was convinced that the reduction is making residents feel any safer. Councilman John Bullock represents West Baltimore. "I can't say folks have seen some sort of dramatic change," he said, "I know the perception may not be the same as the figures."
Councilman Robert Stokes, who represents East Baltimore, put it much more bluntly: "It’s still dangerous."
"You can’t just go in there and clean it up. You’re just putting a patch on it. There’s got to be some follow-up," Stokes said.Baltimore Police Kevin Davis agrees and hopes that this momentum will help officers go into 2018 with the wind at their backs. But Pugh's strategy -- especially the fact that it redirects city government resources not originally intended to go towards crime fighting -- has others worried that even if it reduces crime in five neighborhoods in East, West, and Northwest Baltimore, it could leave the rest of Baltimore less prepared for emergencies.
Maryland Governor Larry Hogan is not waiting to see the results and is instead launching a crime fighting strategy of his own. When asked about Mayor Pugh's new program, Hogan responded that he is still "not sure what the mayor’s plan is to fight violent crime in Baltimore City." However, the Governor admitted that the options the state has are limited.
"The state cannot just come in and take over Baltimore City," Hogan explained. "We’re not going to send in the National Guard as we did for a week during the riots. It was a temporary situation. But whatever the state can do to assist them, and things that we think will make it easier to get these repeat violent offenders and criminals who are shooting people in the streets of Baltimore off the streets, we’re going to do it."
What do you think? Should the Mayor be taking a victory lap when Baltimore is poised to set a homicide record this year? Let us know what you think in the comment section below!
