Mayor Brandon Scott was joined by state and local leaders inside City Hall on Tuesday to discuss public safety in 2024 and strategies for the new year.

The mayor touted work last year, including a historic reduction in homicides, as well as declines in non-fatal shootings, carjacking and auto thefts, the high number of guns seized, and the improved homicide clearance rate.

Looking ahead, the mayor said his office will continue to focus on removing guns and criminals from the streets of Baltimore, invest in a holistic and comprehensive crime reduction approach and expand his Group Violence Reduction Strategy or GVRS.

“Our approach is comprehensive and that means every single piece of the puzzle or crab gets the support and resources they need to be successful,” Scott said. “Our expansion of GVRS which now operates in the western, southwestern, central and eastern districts will expand to all districts by the end of the year.”

When asked during an interview, Baltimore City State’s Attorney Ivan Bates said GVRS wasn’t the main reason homicides dropped as much as they did. Rather, Bates pointed to the work in his office as the driving force. When asked if GVRS is the reason for the decline in homicides, Bates simply said: “No.”

During Tuesday’s news conference, FOX45 News asked the mayor for a response to the City State’s Attorney’s stance.

“First and foremost, the drop in homicides actually started in the fall of 2022 before the State’s Attorney took office, right?” said the mayor.

“We’re going to continue to let folks know that reality. But when you think about the targeting of those violent repeat offenders you have to remember that it starts with the men and women of the BPD which is led by my commissioner and I as the mayor of Baltimore am the commander in chief. When you think about prosecuting people who had guns on them illegally in the city that starts here in this building and the direction we give to BPD every day. More importantly, it starts with those women and men. So, anybody who is trying to say anything otherwise is not talking the truth. They are the ones making the arrests. They are the ones putting their lives on the line. They are the ones identifying and going after those individuals who are committing those acts of violence.”

Bates did not attend Tuesday’s public safety news conference due to a scheduling conflict, according to his office.

The mayor was also questioned about juvenile crime.

While the number of juveniles who fell victim to homicides and non-fatal shootings declined in 2024, thecCity experienced a large increase in robberies and carjackings.

“We want to make sure, as the governor said, holding those young people accountable while also correcting and investing in them to change their life so they don’t do that for the rest of their lives. We can get to many of them now because they’re still young.”

Have a news tip? Contact reporter Alexa Ashwell at aashwell@sbgtv.com.