How Baltimore uses data to prevent killings
Homicides fell 31 per cent in 2025 and another 23 per cent in the first half of 2026. City officials credit data that shows who is most at risk and whether programmes work.
Baltimore recorded 133 homicides in 2025, down 31 per cent from 194 the year before. The decline has continued: the city recorded 50 homicides between 1 January and 1 July 2026, compared with 65 in the same period of 2025, a fall of 23 per cent.
What the data is for
City officials say better use of data has been an important part of the response. It helps them identify who is most at risk, decide where to concentrate violence-prevention programmes and check whether those programmes work. One analysis found that more than 60 per cent of shootings and homicides could be traced to group-involved incidents, such as neighbourhood crews and social networks in which violence carries a high risk of retaliation.
Stefanie Mavronis, director of the Mayor's Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement, and Joseph Muhlhausen, the city's chief of data analytics, described the approach at the Smart Cities Connect fall conference in National Harbor, Maryland.
Not a smart-city gadget
Baltimore's example is a useful corrective to the idea that a smart city means sensors and dashboards. The most valuable data here is about people and relationships, used to direct outreach and to evaluate it, which also makes privacy, fairness and oversight central questions rather than footnotes.
Research desk, Online
Stories by the IQGov research desk are written from public documents, official data and on-record statements, which are listed and linked at the end of each piece.
