BALTIMORE — On the first day of 2023, Mayor Brandon Scott touted some of the progress his administration made in improving public safety the previous year and his plans for addressing public safety issues in the year ahead.
During 2022, Baltimore saw a 5% decrease in nonfatal shootings, which it considers to be “a start in the right direction,” Scott said in a public statement.
But those efforts fall short of where the Scott administration wants to go, he said.
Scott said his office aims to produce a 10% decrease in non-fatal shootings in 2023.
“We have seen significant progress in our efforts to combat gun violence, with a 19% increase in gun arrests and the seizure of over 2,600 weapons, including 477 ghost guns,” Scott said. “However, we recognize that policing alone will not solve the problem, so we are focused on addressing the underlying causes that contribute to violence in our communities.”
Scott said the Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement, known as MONSE, has been providing people with the resources they need to choose a better path.
“Through our Group Violence Reduction Strategy (GVRS) pilot program, we have been in contact with more than 100 individuals and connected 71 participants to services such as life coaching, employment, and housing assistance,” he said.
He also said his administration has been holding those people who engage in violent behavior accountable for their actions.
“We have balanced this approach with enforcement action taken against 60 group involved suspects that were arrested by BPD’s Group Violence Unit,” he said. “These efforts contributed to a 34% decrease in homicides and non-fatal shootings in the Western District. We are expecting to carry this momentum into the Southwestern District as the program expands to that area in 2023.”
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