An Applied Partnership for Homicide Reduction in Baltimore

• In Event: Strengthening Evidence-Based Policing Through Applied Research Partnerships

Abstract

In 2019, the University of Pennsylvania Crime and Justice Policy Lab undertook a partnership with the City of Baltimore with the goal of reducing the number of homicides in the city. This included a close collaboration with Baltimore Police Department, and particularly with Police Commissioner Michael Harrison. Since 2019, Baltimore has been able to successfully reduce its annual count of homicides from eight years of over 300 homicides, to 200 homicides in 2024. The work in Baltimore involved a heavy amount of team activity devoted to implementation and monitoring, but also resulted in extensive data access and analytical opportunities. This resulted in a working paper submitted to the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) with full study results forthcoming. This presentation discusses the political, implementation, and analytical challenges of working with Baltimore Police Department. There will be a short discussion of the results and the political and administrative changes that resulted from the research. The authors will also reflect on how Baltimore differs from other police research partnerships that the lab has engaged with.

Authors

• Ben Struhl, University of Pennsylvania

• Lisa Barao, University of Pennsylvania

• Anthony Braga, University of Pennsylvania