We found a report ranking Baltimore against the rest of the country on crime stats using the latest FBI Crime In The United States report. While the head counts of rank-and-file officers are down sharply since 2011, Baltimore is one of the most dangerous cities in America.
 

https://www.security.org/resources/most-dangerous-cities/#:~:text=Chicago had the most murders,8.

 

QUESTIONS:

1. Using the latest FBI Crime In The United States report, how did Baltimore rank against the rest of the country?
   
   An argument can be made that Baltimore is the most dangerous city in America:
   Number of robberies per 100,000 people: #1
   Major crime rate as a percentage of U.S. crime rate: #1
   Number of murder by city: #2
   
   However, Baltimore didn't rank at all in key crime categories such as rapes and aggravated assaults. That’s some good news, at least.
    
2. Last week, OpenTheBooks.com reviewed the headcounts of rank-and-file police officers. Remind us of your findings?

The city disclosures show that in 2011, there were 2,311 rank-and-file police officers employed in the department. At the start of 2022, the police officer headcount had fallen to 1,812 -- a drop of 509 officers on the street over the last decade.

However, the department is more top-heavy today than in 2011. While the number of regular police officers fell sharply, the numbers of Sergeants, Lieutenants, Captains, and Majors increased in every position. For example, there are 371 sergeants today, up from 325 in 2011. Today, there are 116 Lieutenants, up from 106 in 2011. 

3. What about the soft policing programs like Safe Streets? How much money has been allocated to these programs?

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott announced $50 million of the city's $641 million allocation of American Rescue Plan money will be spent in the next three years for victim services and community-based violence intervention programs.

 

News | Mayor's Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement

 

The Baltimore Safe Streets program is modeled on Chicago’s CURE violence program. It didn’t work in Chicago.

4. So, it's not a question of public resources. What is the solution?
   
   Education. Employment.
   
   City of Baltimore public schools are also among the nation’s worst with only 17-percent of students testing at grade level for math and only 22-percent of student reading at grade level. 
   
   When employers look to move into a city, they weight public safety and schools. Unfortunately Baltimore is under-performing in these areas.