With homicides at their highest rate in years, the mayor announces a plan to crack down on guns. And so far this year, homicides are down 25 percent.

Sound familiar? That's a synopsis of what's happening right now in Cleveland, where Mayor Frank Jackson "ordered cops to get in the faces of street gangs, corner dealers and anyone illegally carrying a gun" after the city experienced a 13-year high in homicides last year. The city is seizing guns at a higher rate than last year and has seen homicides and gun-related violence drop, The Cleveland Plain-Dealer reports.

I think it's fair to say Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon's GunStat plan is a bit more involved -- it involves chronicling gun cases from start to finish, including the types of weapons seized, bail amounts, the defendants' criminal histories and the court's rulings. The effort is designed to help focus attention on individuals who police say have used guns in previous crimes but are back on the streets. Getting the guns is a big component, but putting the gun owners away is the priority.

The effect on homicides seems to be about the same between the two cities, just looking at the raw numbers for this year. The long-term results will be more telling.

--Justin Fenton