The last year in public safety in Baltimore was defined largely by a historic drop in gun violence, a development that generated national headlines. But Baltimore Police see the year as a win for many other reasons, too.

The police department released a year-end report Thursday, along with a statement that celebrated a number of what the agency described as “landmark achievements,” from improvements in hiring and retaining officers to the continued implementation of federally mandated reforms.

In that statement, Mayor Brandon Scott called 2025 “another year of incredible progress for our city and for the Baltimore Police Department.” Police Commissioner Richard Worley said he is “incredibly proud” of the men and women under his command.

Baltimore Police’s top-line achievement was a notable one: Homicides decreased by 31%, from 194 in 2024 to 131 in 2025. Nonfatal shootings were down, too, with 311 over the past year, compared to 412 the year prior — a decrease of 24%.

A recent Banner analysis found that sustained years of decreases in gun violence resulted in a 48-year low for homicides, with shootings falling faster and further in Baltimore than in other major cities that have historically struggled with homicides.

Here are some other takeaways for 2025, according to data compiled by the police department.

Several categories of crime are down and clearance rates are up

It wasn’t just rates of gun violence that fell in 2025.

According to Baltimore Police, carjackings decreased by 37% compared to 2024, and commercial robberies fell by 16%.

Those figures are dropping as the rates at which police solve the crimes are ticking up. The city’s overall robbery clearance rate in 2025 rose to 44%, up 15 percentage points from 29% in 2024, the department said.

The police department attributed crime decreases across the board to “continued restructuring and significant increases in clearance rates, many of which exceeded national averages.”

Specifically, Baltimore Police pointed to improvements in intelligence sharing and data-driven strategies that have “improved coordination, accountability and information sharing across the department.”

Hiring and retention stabilized

The city is continuing to make progress on what has in recent years become a major sticking point in the police department’s quest to exit federal oversight.

Baltimore Police hired 77 more sworn officers in 2025 for a total of 241 new hires — a 47% increase from the 164 officers hired in 2024.

The police department said that reflected the success of a new recruitment campaign, and highlighted that 46% of new hires of sworn officers were Baltimore residents.

In recent years, the department — which is budgeted to have around 2,600 sworn officers — had dipped below 2,000, a trend it says has since reversed.

Baltimore Police have not only improved recruitment, but have also made progress stemming the tide of officers leaving the agency.

About 158 sworn members left last year, a 14% reduction compared to 2024, the agency said, attributing the improvement to pay increases and other benefits.

As of Dec. 19, the department had 427 vacancies for sworn officers.

Despite uncertainty in Washington, federally mandated reforms moved forward

Baltimore Police reached “sustained compliance” in two additional areas of its agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice to reform the department following a federal investigation into biased and unconstitutional policing practices.

That doesn’t mean there isn’t still plenty of work to do. The police department is now in full or sustained compliance with four out of the 17 provisions of the agreement.

Meanwhile, scores of attorneys have fled the Justice Department under the current administration, weakening federal oversight and adding new uncertainty to the mix as Baltimore Police continue to move forward with the reforms.