Sure, here’s a more concise and conversational rewrite that reflects the same content with a human touch:
On Tuesday, the Baltimore Police Department shared some pretty encouraging crime statistics, comparing data from April 2023 to April 2024. It’s worth noting that these kinds of news releases tend to come out when there’s good news to share—like just ahead of the primary election, with Mayor Brandon Scott campaigning for a second term. Some critics might say it’s a political move, but let’s take a look at the numbers.
Overall, there’s a clear downward trend in crime over the past year. Homicides have dropped by 38%, and non-fatal shootings are down 25%. If you look at just April 2024 compared to April 2023, things are moving in the right direction: violent crime is down 20%, rape is down 30%, carjackings are down 57%, and auto theft is down 20%. Even property crime saw a 10% decrease.
The trends continue for the first four months of 2024. All violent crime is down 9%, carjackings are down 12%, commercial robberies are down 11%, aggravated assault is down 13%, arson is down 20%, and larceny has fallen by 6%. Those are some solid numbers.
On top of that, the BPD has made over 200 robbery arrests and 230 stolen auto arrests from January to April. They’ve also seized more than 870 guns. Plus, the homicide clearance rate jumped from 40% last year to 70.5% this year, and the non-fatal clearance rate climbed from 33.8% to 48.3%.
The police department knows there’s still work to do, and they’re committed to community policing and keeping illegal weapons off the streets. As we head into the summer, which often brings more crime due to the warm weather and large events, the BPD is gearing up to handle those challenges.
It’s good to see the crime rates dropping in Baltimore, and here’s hoping the trend continues. But we’ll need to stay vigilant, as there’s always more to be done to keep our city safe.
Dan Rodricks, Baltimore Sun columnist, radio and TV personality, podcaster, and author of “Father’s Day Creek.”
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