August ends with lowest homicide total in more than 30 years
The month of August concluded in Baltimore with 13 homicides, the lowest figure for that month since 1979, when Jimmy Carter was president and the city had 180,000 more people.
This month's victims included a Bhutanese refugee killed in a robbery, a 4-year-old girl whose mother has been arrested in her death, a 91-year-old woman killed in her home in Northeast Baltimore, and an IT professional from DC who was walking away from a confrontation at a bar when he was fatally stabbed.
Statistically, the total is significant relative to Baltimore's long struggle with crime. From 1999 to 2008, the city averaged more than 21 killings per month for every month but February. This year, the city has seen less than 20 killings in six of eight months, including four with 15 killings or less. There was a stretch of 18 days during which two people were killed, which is unheard of here.
Of course, 13 killings in a city like Boston or Atlanta would be a call to action. Baltimore's on pace for 200-plus homicides, which wouldn't budge the city from its top-five or six murder rate. To get to DC's murder rate for last year, for example, Baltimore would have to record less than 140 murders.
For the year, homicides are down about 5 percent, with 139 slain as of Thursday morning compared with 147 at this time last year. The year to date total is the lowest since this time at 1985.
And non-fatal shootings are down, too. For August, there were 34 non-fatal shootings, down from 43 last August. For the year, as of Aug. 20, the most recent data available, shootings were down to 254 from 267 at this point last year, a difference of about 5 percent.
Comments
curious:
What is the saturation rate of (actually in the street) sworn officers per citizen then and now?
I've seen snippets of these statistics here and there but I can't recall seeing it laid out year over year.
Posted by: MrRational | September 1, 2011 1:08 PM
Any numbers on year-over-year non-fatal shootings?
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Yes, I will add them -JF
Posted by: Nate | September 1, 2011 1:32 PM
The drop is most likely due to the excitement and anticipation of the Grand Prix.
Posted by: Tomato Head | September 1, 2011 3:00 PM
First an earthquake... then an hurricane... and now news that Baltimore is SAFER. Oh man, the world is coming to an end, haha!
You think this could have anything to do with the reduced number of public housing units in the city? What are the number of units difference between now and 1990's when the towers came down?
Either way, good news and I'll take it!
Posted by: Joe | September 1, 2011 3:15 PM
Thank the UofM Shock Trauma for this statistic, nothing the elected thieves have done!
Posted by: Anonymous | September 1, 2011 3:41 PM
Great news. "Only" 13 dead. Only 13.
Posted by: Anonymous | September 1, 2011 3:50 PM
While I would much prefer the number to be zero I am glad the homicide numbers are on the decrease. It took Baltimore City awhile to get into this mess, the problem isn't going to disappear overnight.
Posted by: Cham | September 1, 2011 4:51 PM
Anonymous, that's why I asked for the non-fatal shooting total, which indicates shootings are down also. So not necessarily the good work at Shock Trauma.
Posted by: Nate | September 1, 2011 4:52 PM
Not Shock Trama so much....Shooting are down also...
Posted by: J | September 1, 2011 5:00 PM
900 Leadenhall, female, blunt force trauma. 09/01. What up?
Posted by: Cham | September 1, 2011 7:08 PM
So we are excited that we are down to almost 1 murder every other day???
There could be a lot fewer murders if repeat offenders like: Lee Jones III (murdered on 8/23) and Jerome Golphin (murdered 8/22) were not consistently let out on multiple drug and assault charges. Each of them have been to court over 20 times in the last 2 years, yet some how they are out on the street. As soon as the Baltimore Court System ends its catch and release program our murder rate would plummet.
Posted by: pigtownscott1 | September 2, 2011 10:42 AM
Does this offer a clue to why DC's homicide rate has plummeted (aside from the widespread gentrification of some of its seedier neighborhoods)?
"As a result of the National Capital Revitalization and Self-Government Improvement Act of 1997, sentenced felons are transferred to the FEDERAL BUREAU OF PRISONS." Commit a felony down there and you get shipped off to someplace in Tennessee or Kansas!
Posted by: GreenMeansGo | September 2, 2011 2:40 PM
GreenMeansGo, this has been brought up before, turn them over to the Feds and ship them out to the middle fo nowhere in some system. This would be a deterent for the ones that know they can play the system closer to home. Haven't heard much about the status on the new juvenile prison lately.
Posted by: DHarri | September 3, 2011 6:09 PM