By Tashi McQueen
AFRO Staff Writer
tmcqueen@afro.com
As 2024 came to an end, Mayor Brandon M. Scott (D) and the Baltimore Police Commissioner Richard Worley reflected on the accomplishments and overall progress they’ve made within the mayor’s first term.
Scott was initially elected to the Baltimore City mayoral office in 2020 and was re-elected in 2024.
“To everyone in our city that is working to make a better Baltimore a reality, thank you for your partnership and for believing in what we can accomplish together,” said Scott in a statement on Dec. 31. “The work we are doing is building a foundation for lasting, transformative change.”
On New Year’s Eve, Scott’s office released a full report entitled “Building Baltimore’s Future Together.” The review highlighted a range of Scott’s accomplishments during his first term. Those achievements include navigating the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge and historic reductions in homicides.
According to the report, the city supported small businesses in the aftermath of the bridge collapse by providing $843,750 in subsidies administered by the Mayor’s Office of Employment Development (MOED). The city supported 65 small businesses that were impacted, 74 percent of which were minority-owned.
The mayor’s report also highlighted the city’s investment in Black Baltimoreans.
“In January 2023, the historic Lexington Market unveiled a $45 million redevelopment establishing its role as a cultural and community hub,” read the mayor’s report. “The new 53,000 – SF market, shaped by two years of community input, increased Black-owned businesses to 50 percent and women-owned vendors to over half.”
During Black History Month in 2024, the city launched the HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) Fellowship Initiative with the help of Baltimore Corps, Coppin State University and Morgan State University. The Baltimore Corps is a non-profit organization aiming to advance equity and racial justice by connecting people to socially innovative jobs.
The intention of the program is to “create a pipeline to careers in public service for students from Baltimore’s HBCUs.”
In the report, Scott highlighted his public safety efforts which provided much progress during his first term.
Scott credited his administration’s Comprehensive Violence Prevention Plan, which focuses on providing holistic and evidence-based solutions to public safety, for the homicide reductions seen in 2023 and 2024.
“This comprehensive approach has helped produce a historic 20 percent drop in homicides in 2023,” read the mayor’s report.
In the Baltimore Police Department’s (BPD) 2024 end of year review, officials said homicides decreased by 23 percent (201 in 2024 vs. 261 in 2023) and non-fatal shootings reduced by 34 percent (414 in 2024 v. 635 in 2023).
“Overall arrests increased by 14 percent, including a 29 percent rise in homicide arrests, a 60 percent increase in misdemeanor drug arrests and a 46 percent increase in auto theft arrests,” read BPD’s end of year report. “Juvenile victims of homicides and non-fatal shootings decreased by 74 percent.”
Around 160 police officer trainees and 14 cadets were recruited in 2024, according to BPD. As well, “proactive enforcement activities rose by 68 percent, with foot and bike patrols increasing by 139 percent and 92 percent, respectively.”
“We know very well that there is much more work to be done in building trust with our communities and we plan to build on these successes in partnership with all our stakeholders and community partners,” said Worley in a statement on Jan. 1. “Together we are united in building up our city and ensuring that residents feel safe and protected.”