How blue cities reduced crime

In April, Baltimore had four homicides. That's its lowest monthly number in at least 50 years. It's not just a one-month blip. In 2025, Baltimore endured 133 homicides. That was the lowest annual number since 1965.

Four years ago, these statistics would have seemed impossible. The city recorded 333 homicides in 2022.

What explains the drop? While many factors influence crime statistics, here's one that stands out. In 2015, Marilyn Mosby became the state's attorney for Baltimore City, her city's top prosecutor. She implemented a progressive agenda, including not prosecuting those charged with low-level crimes. She did, however, aggressively go after police officers connected to the 2015 death of Freddie Gray. She didn't secure any convictions.

But the damage was done. Homicides jumped from 211 in 2014 to 342 in 2015. That number remained above 300 during her tenure.

In July 2022, Mosby finished third in a Democrat primary. She left office in January 2023.

The new state's attorney for Baltimore City, Ivan Bates, reversed course. He told criminals that they would now be punished for their crimes, especially if they carried an illegal gun. "If you have an illegal handgun and you are a felon and you want to carry an illegal gun, we're going to invoke mandatory minimums," Bates said in January 2023 when he took office.

Baltimore isn't the only city that has benefited from putting criminals in jail. In 2025, Memphis, Tennessee, saw a 41 percent reduction in crime compared with 2023. Memphis Mayor Paul Young noted that crime dropped in every ZIP code. With the backing of Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, President Donald Trump sent the National Guard to Memphis last October. That appears to have saved lives.

As of April 19, Memphis had 48 murders for 2026. That's a decline from 73 murders at the same point in 2025.

Holding criminals responsible for their actions doesn't just reduce the most serious crimes. Vandalism and other offenses have long plagued San Francisco's Bay Area Rapid Transit system. In August, BART finished replacing its waist-high turnstiles that non-ticket holders could easily bypass. Its new polycarbonate doors are 7.5 feet tall and have steel frames. As fare-evading dropped, so did vandalism and other crimes. As it turns out, many criminals didn't want to pay for a ticket. That barrier to entry made the system safer for everyone.

Inconveniencing criminals doesn't have to be a partisan proposition. The country would be much better off if there were bipartisan agreement that civil society necessitates ensuring that those who engage in criminal behaviors understand they will face the consequences.

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