16 teenagers charged with violent crimes in Baltimore over the weekend
The teens range in age from 13 to 17, and three of them are being charged as adults, according to police.
Baltimore Police say 11 of the teens have prior arrest records, and two of them have been arrested more than nine times. Seven were released to a guardian.
Among the crimes committed are robbery, auto theft, and assault.
"It is incredibly frustrating to see young people involved in violent crimes across our city," Baltimore Police Commissioner Richard Worley said. "Our officers are working every day to keep our neighborhoods safe, but real, lasting change requires all of us, from our families, schools, community leaders, and the justice system, working together. We cannot arrest our way out of this problem. We need accountability, early intervention, and real support for our youth to break this cycle and build a safer future for Baltimore."
Mayor touts decline in crime
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott discussed in an interview with WJZ on April 23 his administration's aggressive efforts to attack crime.
Scott said the city has seen a 40% reduction in murders since 2020; shootings are down 43% over that time; robberies are down 23% since last year; carjackings are down 19%.; and auto thefts are down 40%.
"We said that we were going to reduce homicides by 15 %, and we did that, we beat it, that is great progress, but we have a lot more building to do together, Mayor Scott told WJZ.
Mayor Scott says the approach to decreasing crime numbers and investing in young people is working despite a shortage of nearly 500 police officers.
"Statistics will show, unless you have something that connects them with something better, they will revert back to something they did before, creating this cycle that we're seeing over and over again," Mayor Scott said. "The way that we operate now is the way we should have been operating forever, not putting everything on the backs of BPD. There are other things for other agencies to handle, and they have to have investment to do that."
Investing in youth and safety
Mayor Scott said during his State of the City address on April 21 that youth and public safety are major investments in the city's proposed budget for fiscal year 2026.
According to the mayor, the spending plan involves $624.8 million for youth initiatives, including $6.9 million to expand the YouthWorks summer jobs program to 8,500 participants at $15 per hour and funding for two new recreation centers.
Public safety would receive $1.2 billion, with full funding for the citywide expansion of the Group Violence Reduction Strategy and continued efforts to transition administrative police tasks to civilian roles, according to the proposed budget.
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