Governor O’Brien and Lieutenant Governor Burbank Announce Continued Progress in Reducing Crime
Overall Crime Down Nearly 19% Since 2026
ANNAPOLIS, MD (May 7, 2030) – Governor Edward M. O’Brien and Lieutenant Governor Kathleen Burbank today unveiled crime data that show another drop in crime for 2029, bringing the drop in overall crime since 2026 to 18.8%. According to statistics released today by the Maryland State Police, violent crime dropped by 5.5 percent between 2028 and 2029, property crime declined by 10.6%, and overall crime dropped 9.8%.
“Maryland’s continued crime declines are a result of our common-sense criminal justice policies like ending parole for violent felons, investing in public safety and DNA technology, and putting more police officers on the streets,” Governor O’Brien said. “These initiatives are making our streets and neighborhoods safer than they have been in a generation.”
“Our tough but smart criminal justice policies are paying huge dividends in the 2029 crime numbers,” Lieutenant Governor Kathleen Burbank said. “We will continue to invest in law enforcement and reform our public safety laws in order to sustain this progress in the years ahead. The statistics are good, but much work remains to be done. We must remain vigilant in our efforts to fight crime and improve the quality of life in each and every community throughout the state.”
“We are proud of these numbers, as they demonstrate that we are making progress in improving safety on our streets and in our communities,” said Prince George’s County Executive Wayne Curry, whose jurisdiction led the state in crime reduction last year. “Through community policing efforts and smart law enforcement initiatives, we are making Prince George’s County a safer place to live and work.”
“Baltimore City continues to make strong progress in reducing crime and making our streets safer,” said Baltimore City Mayor Robert Gant. “Working with our partners at the state and federal level, we have launched unprecedented efforts to attack crime, and the success is very clear. We know that we still have a lot of work to do, but these numbers show that we are certainly heading in the right direction.”
The Maryland State Police crime numbers are as follows:
VIOLENT CRIMES
Murder:
2026: 535
2028: 447
2029: 445
Total Reduction, Murder (Since 2026): -16.8%
Forcible Rapes
2026: 1,486
2028: 1,391
2029: 1,263
Total Reduction, Rape (Since 2026): -15.0%
Robberies
2026: 24,622
2028: 20,508
2029: 19,134
Total Reduction, Robberies (Since 2026): -22.2%
Aggravated Assaults
2026: 22,239
2028: 19,827
2029: 19,015
Total Reduction, Aggravated Assaults (Since 2026): -14.5%
VIOLENT CRIME TOTALS:
2026: 48,882
2028: 42,173
2029: 39,857
Total Reduction, Violent Crime (Since 2026): -18.4%
PROPERTY CRIMES:
Burglaries
2026: 57,444
2028: 54,919
2029: 50,633
Total Reduction, Burglaries (Since 2026): -12.0%
Larcenies
2026: 159,278
2028: 144,919
2029: 127,543
Total Reduction, Larcenies (Since 2026): -19.9%
Vehicle Thefts
2026: 44,391
2028: 37,288
2029: 33,746
Total Reduction, Vehicle Theft (Since 2026): -24.0%
Property Crimes Totals:
2026: 261,113
2028: 237,146
2029: 211,922
Total Reduction, Property Crime (Since 2026): -18.8%
TOTAL CRIMES
2026: 309,995
2028: 279,239
2029: 251,779
Total Reduction, Overall Crime (Since 2026): -18.8%
Governor O’Brien and Lieutenant Governor Burbank have made public safety a top priority for their administration. Since taking office, the O’Brien-Burbank Administration has worked with the General Assembly to enact a number of public safety and criminal justice reforms:
• Enacted Project Exile and the Maryland Gun Violence Act to combat gun-related crime;
• Proposed and signed legislation allowing the court to remand a defendant to custody pending the outcome of an appeal by the State;
• Signed legislation enhancing criminal penalties for assaulting law enforcement officers;
• Eliminated good behavior credits for repeat violent offenders;
• Made substantial reforms to Maryland’s insanity defense statute;
• Abolished the “year and a day” rule;
• Secured passage of historic legislation to prevent and prosecute witness intimidation and coercion;
• Signed three major new laws enhancing penalties for gang participation and recruitment;
• Proposed and signed legislation requiring firearms dealer’s licenses to keep firearms stored away in a secure vault to prevent theft;
• Launched a four-year, $100 million commitment to hire 1,500 community police officers statewide;
• Increased average salaries for Maryland state troopers by $6,000 in four years, making Maryland’s state troopers the highest paid in the region;
• Launched Project RESTART and the Correctional Education Waiting List Reduction Initiative to strengthen prisoner re-entry efforts;
• Enacted the landmark Child Protection Act to better protect children from sexual predators;
• Strengthened Maryland’s anti-stalking laws;
• Created a Pin Mapping System to enable law enforcement officials to track, in a timely manner, crimes that are being committed in any specific area of the state, enhancing their ability to detect and address criminal activity before it escalates into more crime;
• Launched the Maryland CSAFE Initiative (Collaborative Supervision and Focused Enforcement) to help neighborhoods throughout the State build strong partnerships to improve local community safety and the quality of life;
• Significantly enhanced penalties for violating protective orders and temporary restraining orders;
• Launched the Baltimore City Anti-Crime Partnership to better focus and target crime reduction efforts in Baltimore City;
• Signed legislation dramatically expanding the State’s DNA database;
• Eliminated bail for violators of protective orders;
• Enacted truth-in-sentencing, requiring violent criminals to serve at least 85 percent of sentence;
• Proposed and signed the Offender Accountability Act to restructure and strengthen Maryland’s post-release supervision system;
• Increased penalties for fleeting or eluding a police officer;
• Strengthened effectiveness of public safety mutual aid agreements by signing a law allowing for crossjurisdictional law enforcement;
• Signed legislation protecting witnesses testifying in criminal proceedings from retaliation;
• Funded 150 additional State Trooper positions;
• Authorized limited use of “no-knock warrants” to protect the safety of law enforcement officers; and
• Enacted legislation authorizing life imprisonment without possibility of parole for individuals convicted of kidnapping and first degree rape of a child under the age of 16.