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PreviewAdvancedSpecial charactersHelpHeadingLevel 2Level 3Level 4Level 5FormatInsertLatinLatin extendedIPASymbolsGreekGreek extendedCyrillicArabicArabic extendedHebrewBanglaTamilTeluguSinhalaDevanagariGujaratiThaiLaoKhmerCanadian AboriginalRunesÁáÀàÂâÄäÃãǍǎĀāĂ㥹ÅåĆćĈĉÇçČčĊċĐđĎďÉéÈèÊêËëĚěĒēĔĕĖėĘęĜĝĢģĞğĠġĤĥĦħÍíÌìÎîÏïĨĩǏǐĪīĬĭİıĮįĴĵĶķĹĺĻļĽľŁłŃńÑñŅņŇňÓóÒòÔôÖöÕõǑǒŌōŎŏǪǫŐőŔŕŖŗŘřŚśŜŝŞşŠšȘșȚțŤťÚúÙùÛûÜüŨũŮůǓǔŪūǖǘǚǜŬŭŲųŰűŴŵÝýŶŷŸÿȲȳŹźŽžŻżÆæǢǣØøŒœßÐðÞþƏəFormattingLinksHeadingsListsFilesDiscussionReferencesDescriptionWhat you typeWhat you getItalic''Italic text''Italic textBold'''Bold text'''Bold textBold & italic'''''Bold & italic text'''''Bold & italic textDescriptionWhat you typeWhat you getReferencePage text.<ref>[https://www.example.org/ Link text], additional text.</ref>Page text.[1]Named referencePage text.<ref name="test">[https://www.example.org/ Link text]</ref>Page text.[2]Additional use of the same referencePage text.<ref name="test" />Page text.[2]Display references<references />↑ Link text, additional text.↑ Link text==Law, government, and politics== Baltimore is an [[Independent city (United States)|independent city]], and not part of any [[county (United States)|county]]. For most governmental purposes under Maryland law, Baltimore City is treated as a county-level entity. The [[United States Census Bureau]] uses counties as the basic unit for presentation of statistical information in the United States, and treats Baltimore as a county equivalent for those purposes. Baltimore has been a [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] stronghold for over 150 years, with Democrats dominating every level of government. In virtually all elections, the Democratic primary is the real contest.<ref>{{cite book| url=https://archive.org/details/baltimoreitshis02compgoog| quote=baltimore democratic stronghold.| title=Baltimore: its history and its people, Volume 1—History| editor=Clayton Coleman Hall| publisher=Lewis Historical Publishing Co., New York| year=1912| pages=[https://archive.org/details/baltimoreitshis02compgoog/page/n394 372]–273| access-date=March 31, 2011}}</ref> As of the 2020 elections, registered Democrats outnumbered registered [[Republican Party (United States)|Republicans]] by almost 10-to-1.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2020/06/09/brandon-scott-wins-democratic-nomination-for-baltimore-mayor/ |title=Brandon Scott Wins Democratic Nomination For Baltimore Mayor |work=Baltimore CBS |author=Paul Gessler |date=June 10, 2020 |access-date=June 10, 2020}}</ref> No Republican has been elected to the City Council since 1939. The city's last Republican mayor, [[Theodore McKeldin]], left office in 1967. No Republican candidate since then has received 25 percent or more of the vote. In the [[2016 Baltimore mayoral election|2016]] and [[2020 Baltimore mayoral election|2020 mayoral election]]s, the Republicans were pushed into third place by write-in and independent candidates, respectively. The last Republican candidate for president to win the city was [[Dwight Eisenhower]] in his successful reelection bid in 1956. The city hosted the first six [[Democratic National Convention]]s, from 1832 through 1852, and hosted the DNC again in [[1860 Democratic National Convention|1860]], [[1872 Democratic National Convention|1872]], and [[1912 Democratic National Convention|1912]].<ref>{{cite web| last=Kelly| first=Martin| title=Democratic National Conventions: List of Democratic National Conventions Since 1832| url=http://americanhistory.about.com/od/politicalparties/a/democratic_con.htm| work=American History| publisher=About.com| access-date=October 5, 2012| archive-url=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20121006115854/http://americanhistory.about.com/od/politicalparties/a/democratic_con.htm| archive-date=October 6, 2012}}</ref><ref name="Rasmussen convs 2012">{{cite news| last=Rasmussen| first=Frederick N.| title=Baltimore has been site of many national political conventions| url=http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2012-08-02/news/bs-md-backstory-political-conventions-20120802_1_baltimore-hotels-gilmor-house-conventions-in-american-history| access-date=October 5, 2012| newspaper=The Baltimore Sun| date=August 2, 2012}}</ref> ===Voter registration=== {| class=wikitable ! colspan = 6 | Voter registration and party enrollment as of March 2024<ref name="MDBOE">{{cite web |title=Maryland Board of Elections Voter Registration Activity Report March 2024 |url=https://elections.maryland.gov/pdf/vrar/2024_03.pdf |website=Maryland Board of Elections |access-date=9 April 2024}}</ref> |- | {{party color cell|Democratic Party (United States)}} | [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] | align = center | {{formatnum: 296108}} | align = center | {{Percentage |296108 |394,197 |2}} |- | {{party color cell|Independent Party (United States)}} | Unaffiliated | align = center | {{formatnum: 62566}} | align = center | {{Percentage |62566 |394,197 |2}} |- | {{party color cell|Republican Party (United States)}} | [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] | align = center | {{formatnum: 28400}} | align = center | {{Percentage |28400 |394,197 |2}} |- | {{party color cell|Libertarian Party (United States)}} | [[Libertarian Party (United States)|Libertarian]] | align = center | {{formatnum: 1192}} | align = center | {{Percentage |1192 |394,197 |2}} |- | {{party color cell|None}} | [[Third party (U.S. politics)|Other parties]] | align = center | {{formatnum: 5931}} | align = center | {{Percentage |5931 |394,197 |2}} |- ! colspan = 2 | Total ! align = center | {{formatnum: 394,197}} ! align = center | {{Percentage |100}} |} ===City government=== ====Mayor==== {{for|a full list of mayors|List of mayors of Baltimore}} [[Brandon Scott]] is the current [[mayor of Baltimore]]. He was elected in 2020 and took office on December 8, 2020. Scott succeeded [[Jack Young (politician)|Jack Young]] who had been mayor since May 2, 2019, upon the resignation of [[Catherine Pugh]]. Prior to Pugh's official resignation, Young was the president of the [[Baltimore City Council]] and had been the acting mayor since April 2.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-pugh-resigns-20190502-story.html |title=Baltimore Mayor Pugh resigns amid growing children's book scandal |date=May 2, 2019 |newspaper=The Baltimore Sun |first1=Luke |last1=Broadwater |first2=Ian |last2=Duncan |first3=Jean |last3=Marbella |access-date=August 1, 2019 }}</ref> [[Catherine Pugh]] became the Democratic nominee for mayor in 2016 and won the [[2016 Baltimore mayoral election|mayoral election in 2016]] with 57.1% of the vote; Pugh took office as mayor on December 6, 2016.<ref name=Fritze>{{cite news|title=How does a Donald Trump administration look in Maryland? In a word, different|first=John|last=Fritze|newspaper=The Baltimore Sun|date=November 9, 2016|url=http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/politics/bs-md-trump-maryland-20161109-story.html|access-date=December 12, 2016}}</ref> Pugh took a leave of absence in April 2019 due to health concerns, then officially resigned from office on May 2.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/baltimore-mayor-catherine-pugh-resigns-11556825577 |title=Baltimore Mayor Pugh Resigns in Book-Sales Scandal |date=May 2, 2019 |newspaper=The Wall Street Journal |first1=Scott |last1=Calvert |first2=Jon |last2=Kamp |access-date=August 1, 2019 }}</ref> The resignation coincided with a scandal over a "self-dealing" book-sales arrangement.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://kmph.com/news/nation-world/baltimore-mayor-goes-on-leave-as-book-scandal-intensifies |title=Baltimore mayor goes on leave as 'self-serving' book deal scandal intensifies |date=April 1, 2019 |publisher=[[KMPH-TV]] |first=David |last=McFadden |access-date=August 1, 2019 }}</ref> [[Stephanie Rawlings-Blake]] assumed the office of Mayor on February 4, 2010, when predecessor Dixon's resignation became effective.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://ebenezerusa.org/bal-rawlings-blake-mayor/ | title=Rawlings-Blake sworn in as mayor | work=The Baltimore Sun | date=January 8, 2018 | first=Ben | last=Nuckols }}</ref> Rawlings-Blake had been serving as City Council President at the time. She was elected to a full term in 2011, defeating Pugh in the primary election and receiving 84% of the vote.<ref>{{cite news |last=Scharper |first=Julie |url=http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/bs-md-srb-plans-20110914,0,206953.story |title=Rawlings-Blake: 'We have a unique opportunity' |newspaper=[[The Baltimore Sun]] |date=September 14, 2011 |access-date=November 8, 2011 |archive-date=September 28, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928104156/http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/bs-md-srb-plans-20110914,0,206953.story |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Sheila Dixon]] became the first female mayor of Baltimore on January 17, 2007. As the former City Council President, she assumed the office of Mayor when former Mayor [[Martin O'Malley]] took office as Governor of Maryland.<ref>{{cite news |title=Dixon Takes Oath |last=Fritze |first=John |date=January 19, 2007 |newspaper=The Baltimore Sun |url=http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2007-01-19/news/0701190012_1_dixon-new-mayor-baltimore |access-date=July 8, 2013}}</ref> On November 6, 2007, Dixon won the [[Baltimore mayoral election, 2007|Baltimore mayoral election]]. Mayor Dixon's administration ended less than three years after her election, the result of a criminal investigation that began in 2006 while she was still City Council President. She was convicted on a single misdemeanor charge of [[embezzlement]] on December 1, 2009. A month later, Dixon made an [[Alford plea]] to a [[perjury]] charge and agreed to resign from office; Maryland, like most states, does not allow convicted felons to hold office.<ref>{{Cite news| title=Dixon Resigns| url=http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bal-md.plea07jan07,0,5485782.story| last=Bykowicz| first=Julie| date=January 7, 2010| newspaper=The Baltimore Sun| access-date=December 21, 2010| archive-date=June 29, 2011| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629173841/http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bal-md.plea07jan07,0,5485782.story| url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | url=http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bal-dixon-trial1201,0,2096336.story | work=The Baltimore Sun | title=Dixon convicted of embezzlement | first=Julie | last=Bykowicz | author2=Annie Linskey | date=December 1, 2009 | access-date=December 2, 2009 | archive-date=June 29, 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629173951/http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bal-dixon-trial1201,0,2096336.story | url-status=dead }}</ref> [[File:1city hall baltimore.jpg|thumb|upright=1.15|[[Baltimore City Hall]]]] ====Baltimore City Council==== Grassroots pressure for reform, voiced as [[Question P]], restructured the city council in November 2002, against the will of the mayor, the council president, and the majority of the council. A coalition of union and community groups, organized by the [[Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now]] (ACORN), backed the effort.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-md.city06nov06,0,1845299.story?coll=bal-local-headlines |title=Voters OK reshaping of City Council |newspaper=The Baltimore Sun |author=Laura Vozzella |date=November 6, 2002 |access-date=March 31, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927193012/http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-md.city06nov06%2C0%2C1845299.story?coll=bal-local-headlines |archive-date=September 27, 2007 }}</ref> [[Baltimore City Council]] is made up of 14 single-member districts and one elected at-large council president.<ref>{{cite web |title=2020 Election Results |url=https://www.elections.maryland.gov/elections/2020/results/general/gen_results_2020_4_by_county_030.html |newspaper=The Baltimore Sun |access-date=March 15, 2021}}</ref><ref name=Brew110320>{{Cite web| last = Round| first = Ian| title = Brandon Scott is the next mayor of Baltimore| work = Baltimore Brew| access-date = March 15, 2021| date = November 3, 2020| url = https://baltimorebrew.com/2020/11/03/brandon-scott-is-the-next-mayor-of-baltimore/}}</ref> ====Law enforcement==== [[File:1Courthouse east.JPG|thumb|[[United States Post Office and Courthouse (Baltimore, Maryland)|Courthouse East]] in Baltimore is a historic combined post office and federal courthouse in Battle Monument Square.]] The [[Baltimore Police Department|Baltimore City Police Department]] is the current primary law enforcement agency serving Baltimore citizens. It was founded 1784 as a "Night City Watch" and day Constables system and later reorganized as a City Department in 1853, with a later reorganization under State of Maryland supervision in 1859, with appointments made by the [[Governor of Maryland]] after a period of civic and elections violence with riots in the later part of the decade. Campus and building security for the city's [[Baltimore City Public Schools|public schools]] is provided by the Baltimore City Public Schools Police, established in the 1970s. In the four-year span of 2011 to 2015, 120 lawsuits were brought against Baltimore police for alleged brutality and misconduct. The Freddie Gray settlement of $6.4 million exceeds the combined total settlements of the 120 lawsuits, as state law caps such payments.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/freddie-gray/bs-md-ci-boe-20150908-story.html|title=Baltimore to pay Freddie Gray's family $6.4 million to settle civil claims|date=September 8, 2015|newspaper=The Baltimore Sun|access-date=July 27, 2018|first1=Yvonne|last1=Wenger|first2=Mark|last2=Puente|archive-date=September 8, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150908191013/http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/freddie-gray/bs-md-ci-boe-20150908-story.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Maryland Transportation Authority Police]] under the [[Maryland Department of Transportation]], originally established as the "Baltimore Harbor Tunnel Police" when opened in 1957, is the primary law enforcement agency on the Fort McHenry Tunnel Thruway on [[Interstate 95 in Maryland|I-95]] and the [[Baltimore Harbor Tunnel Thruway]], which goes underneath the northwestern branch of [[Patapsco River]], and [[Interstate 395 (Maryland)|Interstate 395]], which has three ramp bridges crossing the middle branch of the Patapsco River that are under [[Maryland Transportation Authority|MdTA]] jurisdiction, and have limited concurrent jurisdiction with the [[Baltimore Police Department]] under a [[memorandum of understanding]]. Law enforcement on the fleet of transit buses and transit rail systems serving Baltimore is the responsibility of the [[Maryland Transit Administration Police]], which is part of the Maryland Transit Administration of the state [[Maryland Department of Transportation|Department of Transportation]]. The MTA Police also share jurisdiction authority with the Baltimore City Police, governed by a memorandum of understanding.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mta.maryland.gov/about/mtapoliceforce/|title=MTA Police Force|publisher=Maryland Transit Administration|access-date=April 5, 2011}}</ref> As the enforcement arm of the Baltimore circuit and district court system, the [[Baltimore City Sheriff's Office (Maryland)|Baltimore City Sheriff's Office]], created by state constitutional amendment in 1844, is responsible for the security of city courthouses and property, service of court-ordered writs, protective and peace orders, warrants, tax levies, prisoner transportation and traffic enforcement. Deputy Sheriffs are sworn law enforcement officials, with full arrest authority granted by the constitution of Maryland, the [[Maryland Police and Correctional Training Commission]] and the Sheriff of Baltimore.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.baltimorecity.gov/government/sheriff/ |title=Baltimore CIty Sheriff's Office |publisher=City of Baltimore |access-date=January 5, 2010}}</ref> The [[United States Coast Guard]], operating out of their shipyard and facility (since 1899) at Arundel Cove on [[Curtis Creek]], (off Pennington Avenue extending to Hawkins Point Road/Fort Smallwood Road) in the [[Curtis Bay, Baltimore|Curtis Bay]] section of southern Baltimore City and adjacent northern Anne Arundel County. The U.S.C.G. also operates and maintains a presence on Baltimore and Maryland waterways in the [[Patapsco River]] and [[Chesapeake Bay]]. "Sector Baltimore" is responsible for commanding law enforcement and search & rescue units as well as aids to navigation. =====Crime===== {{Main|Crime in Baltimore}} [[File:2016-05-11 18 45 30 Baltimore City Police Car at the intersection of Franklin Street (U.S. Route 40) and Franklintown Road in Baltimore City, Maryland.jpg|thumb|A [[Baltimore Police Department]] patrol car, May 2018]] Baltimore is considered one of the most dangerous cities in the U.S.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurabegleybloom/2023/01/31/report-ranks-americas-15-safest-and-most-dangerous-cities-for-2023/?sh=652dc70b309a |title=Report Ranks America's 15 Safest (And Most Dangerous) Cities For 2023 |date=January 31, 2023 |magazine=[[Forbes (magazine)|Forbes]] |first=Laura Begley |last=Bloom |access-date=February 14, 2024 }}</ref> Experts say an emerging gang presence and heavy recruitment of adolescent boys into these gangs, who are statistically more likely to get serious charges reduced or dropped, are major reasons for the sustained crime crises in the city.<ref>{{cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIbg7vqEVU8 |title=The reason gangs recruit children in Baltimore and why they join, according to one expert |date=April 23, 2023 |work=[[WBFF]] |access-date=February 17, 2024 |via=YouTube }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://mcac.maryland.gov/2023/04/are-gangs-driving-crime-in-baltimore-city/#:~:text=Experts%20say%20many%20gangs%20have,by%20those%20drug%20trafficking%20organizations |title=Are Gangs Driving Crime in Baltimore City? |date=April 24, 2023 |website=Maryland Coordination and Analysis Center |access-date=February 17, 2024 }}</ref> Overall reported crime dropped by 60% from the mid-1990s to the mid-2010s, but homicides and gun violence remain high and far exceed the national average.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bidgood |first=Jess |date=January 15, 2016 |title=The Numbers Behind Baltimore's Record Year in Homicides |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/01/14/us/Baltimore-homicides-record.html,%20https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/01/14/us/Baltimore-homicides-record.html |access-date=September 27, 2023 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The worst years for crime in Baltimore overall were from 1993 to 1996, with 96,243 crimes reported in 1995. Baltimore's 344 homicides in 2015 represented the highest homicide rate in the city's recorded history—52.5 per 100,000 people, surpassing the record ratio set in 1993—and the second-highest for U.S. cities behind [[St. Louis]] and ahead of [[Detroit]]. Of Baltimore's 344 homicides in 2015, 321 (93.3%) of the victims were African-American.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bidgood |first=Jess |date=January 15, 2016 |title=The Numbers Behind Baltimore's Record Year in Homicides |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/01/14/us/Baltimore-homicides-record.html,%20https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/01/14/us/Baltimore-homicides-record.html |access-date=September 27, 2023 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Drug use and deaths by drug use, particularly drugs used intravenously, such as heroin, are a related problem which has impaired Baltimore for decades. Among cities greater than 400,000, Baltimore ranked 2nd in its opiate drug death rate in the United States. The [[Drug Enforcement Administration|DEA]] reported that 10% of Baltimore's population – about 64,000 people – are addicted to heroin, most of which is trafficked into the city from New York.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://healthversed.com/2016/07/20-most-drug-addicted-cities-in-america/26/|title=30 Most Drug Addicted Cities in America|newspaper=Healthversed|date=July 26, 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://data.maryland.gov/Public-Safety/Violent-Crime-Property-Crime-by-County-1975-to-Pre/jwfa-fdxs|title=Violent Crime & Property Crime by County: 1975 to Present – Open Data – data.maryland.gov|website=data.maryland.gov}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://data.baltimoresun.com/bing-maps/homicides/index.php?show_results=UPDATE+MAP&range=2015&district=all&zipcode=All&cause=all&age=all&gender=all&race=all&article=all |title=Baltimore Homicides |newspaper=The Baltimore Sun |access-date=December 14, 2015 |archive-date=December 18, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151218201023/http://data.baltimoresun.com/bing-maps/homicides/index.php?show_results=UPDATE+MAP&range=2015&district=all&zipcode=All&cause=all&age=all&gender=all&race=all&article=all |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-ci-homicide-per-capita-20151117-story.html |title=Per capita, Baltimore reaches its highest ever homicide rate |newspaper=The Baltimore Sun |date=November 17, 2015 |access-date=December 3, 2015 |first1=Kevin |last1=Rector |first2=Justin |last2=Fenton |archive-date=October 11, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181011085419/http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-ci-homicide-per-capita-20151117-story.html |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1994-11-11/news/1994315031_1_eastern-district-homicide-rate-police-report |title=46 slayings in 41 days push homicide rate up |newspaper=The Baltimore Sun |date=November 11, 1994 |access-date=December 3, 2015 |first=Michael |last=James |quote=1993, the city's most murderous year ever with 353 killings }}</ref> In 2011, Baltimore police reported 196 homicides, the lowest number in the city since 197 homicides in 1978, and far lower than the peak homicide count of 353 slayings in 1993. City leaders at the time credited a sustained focus on repeat violent offenders and increased community engagement for the continued drop, reflecting a nationwide decline in crime.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2012-01-01/news/bs-md-ci-year-end-crime-20120101_1_killings-violent-crime-deadly-cities|title=Baltimore has fewer than 200 killings for first time in decades|newspaper=The Baltimore Sun|author=Justin Fenton|date=January 1, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.baltimorebrew.com/2012/11/25/as-baltimores-homicide-total-climbs-d-c-murders-plummet/|title=As Baltimore's homicide total climbs, D.C. murders plummet|work=Baltimore Brew|author=Mark Reutter|date=November 25, 2012}}</ref> In August 2014, Baltimore's new youth [[curfew]] law went into effect. It prohibits unaccompanied children under age 14 from being on the streets after 9 p.m. and those aged 14–16 from being out after 10 p.m. during the week and 11 p.m. on weekends and during the summer. The goal is to keep children out of dangerous places and reduce crime.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Honan|first1=Edith|title=Go home kids: Baltimore launches strict evening curfew for youth|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/go-home-kids-baltimore-launches-strict-evening-curfew-for-youth/2014/08/09/197f7f9e-1ff8-11e4-ab7b-696c295ddfd1_story.html |newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=August 10, 2014}}</ref> Crime in Baltimore reached another peak in 2015 when the year's tally of 344 homicides was second only to the record 353 in 1993, when Baltimore had about 100,000 more residents. The killings in 2015 were on pace with recent years in the early months of 2015, but skyrocketed after the [[Baltimore Uprising|unrest and rioting of late April]] following the [[killing of Freddie Gray]] by police. In five of the next eight months, killings topped 30–40 per month. Nearly 90 percent of 2015's homicides resulted from shootings, renewing calls for new gun laws. In 2016, there were 318 murders in the city.<ref>Rector, Kevin (January 3, 2017). [http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/crime/bs-md-ci-homicide-id-20170103-story.html "Baltimore police identify last homicide victim of 2016, one of first in 2017"]. ''The Baltimore Sun''. Retrieved January 14, 2017.</ref> This total marked a 7.56 percent decline in homicides from 2015. In an interview with ''[[The Guardian]]'' on November 2, 2017,<ref name="theguardian.com">Gately, Gary (November 2, 2017). [https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/nov/02/baltimore-murder-rate-homicides-ceasefire " Baltimore is more murderous than Chicago. Can anyone save the city from itself?"] ''The Guardian''.</ref> [[David Simon]], himself a former police reporter for ''[[The Baltimore Sun]]'', ascribed the most recent surge in murders to the high-profile decision by Baltimore state's attorney, [[Marilyn Mosby]], to charge six city police officers following the [[death of Freddie Gray]] after he was paralyzed during a "rough-ride" in a police van while in police custody in April 2015, dying from the injury a week later. "What Mosby basically did was send a message to the Baltimore police department: 'I'm going to put you in jail for making a bad arrest.' So officers figured it out: 'I can go to jail for making the wrong arrest, so I'm not getting out of my car to clear a corner,' and that's exactly what happened post-Freddie Gray."<ref name="theguardian.com"/> In Baltimore, "arrest numbers have plummeted from more than 40,000 in 2014, the year before Gray's death and the charges against the officers, to about 18,000 [as of November 2017]. This happened as homicides soared from 211 in 2014 to 344 in 2015 – an increase of 63%."<ref name="theguardian.com"/> Simon's HBO miniseries ''[[We Own This City]]'' aired in April 2022 and covered many of the events surrounding the death of Freddie Gray and the work [[slowdown]] by the Baltimore Police Department during that time period. In the six years between 2016 and 2022, Baltimore tallied 318, 342, 309, 348, 335, 338, and 335 homicides, respectively.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sun |first=Baltimore |title=Baltimore City Homicides |url=https://homicides.news.baltimoresun.com/ |access-date=January 15, 2023 |website=The Baltimore Sun |language=en-us}}</ref> In 2023, Baltimore saw a 20% drop in homicides to 263.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://apnews.com/article/baltimore-homicides-decrease-2023-d88000d65d3916d1fbbe6352becd8881 |title=Baltimore celebrates historic 20% drop in homicides even as gun violence remains high |date=January 5, 2024 |work=Associated Press |first=Lea |last=Skene |access-date=February 14, 2024 }}</ref> ====Baltimore City Fire Department==== {{Main|Baltimore City Fire Department}} Baltimore is protected by the over 1,800 professional firefighters of the Baltimore City Fire Department (BCFD). It was founded in December 1858 and began operating the following year. Replacing several warring independent volunteer companies since the 1770s and the confusion resulting from [[Know-Nothing Riot of 1856|a riot]] involving the "[[Know-Nothing]]" political party two years before, the establishment of a unified professional fire fighting force was a major advance in urban governance. The BCFD operates out of 37 fire stations located throughout the city and has a long history and sets of traditions in its various houses and divisions. ===State government=== {{See also|Baltimore City Delegation}} {{update|date=December 2019}} Since the legislative [[redistricting]] in 2002, Baltimore has had six legislative districts located entirely within its boundaries, giving the city six seats in the 47-member [[Maryland Senate]] and 18 in the 141-member [[Maryland House of Delegates]].<ref name="Delegation">{{cite web| url=http://www.msa.md.gov/msa/mdmanual/07leg/html/gacobcit.html| title=General Assembly Members by County: Baltimore City| work=Maryland Manual On-Line| publisher=Maryland State Archives| date=January 27, 2011| access-date=March 30, 2011| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110331203017/http://www.msa.md.gov/msa/mdmanual/07leg/html/gacobcit.html| archive-date= March 31, 2011 | url-status= live}}</ref><ref name="2002 Plan">{{cite web| url=http://planning.maryland.gov/PDF/OurProducts/Redistrict/2002ld_courtappeals_62102_MD_map_web.pdf| title=2002 Legislative District Plan| publisher=Maryland Department of Planning| access-date=March 30, 2011}}</ref> During the previous 10-year period, Baltimore had four legislative districts within the city limits, but four others overlapped the Baltimore County line.<ref name="1992 Plan">{{cite web| url=http://www.msa.md.gov/msa/mdmanual/07leg/map/html/bcm.html| title=Legislative Election Districts 1992–2000| work=Maryland Manual On-Line| publisher=Maryland State Archives| date=June 17, 2004| access-date=March 31, 2011| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110331203617/http://www.msa.md.gov/msa/mdmanual/07leg/map/html/bcm.html| archive-date= March 31, 2011 | url-status= live}}</ref> {{as of|2011|January|}}, all of Baltimore's state senators and delegates were Democrats.<ref name="Delegation" /> ====State agencies==== {{See also|List of state agencies headquartered in Baltimore}} ===Federal government=== {{Further|Maryland's 2nd congressional district|Maryland's 7th congressional district}} {{See also|United States Senate election in Maryland, 2006}} Two of the state's eight [[congressional district]]s include portions of Baltimore: the [[Maryland's 2nd congressional district|2nd]], represented by [[Dutch Ruppersberger]] and the [[Maryland's 7th congressional district|7th]], represented by [[Kweisi Mfume]]. Both are Democrats. A Republican has not represented a significant portion of Baltimore in Congress since [[John Boynton Philip Clayton Hill]] represented the 3rd District in 1927, and has not represented any of Baltimore since the [[Eastern Shore of Maryland|Eastern Shore]]-based 1st District lost its share of Baltimore after the 2000 census. It was represented by Republican [[Wayne Gilchrest]] at the time. Maryland's senior [[United States senator]], [[Ben Cardin]], is from Baltimore. He is one of three people in the last four decades to have represented the 3rd District before being elected to the [[United States Senate]]. [[Paul Sarbanes]] represented the 3rd from 1971 until 1977, when he was elected to the first of five terms in the Senate. Sarbanes was succeeded by [[Barbara Mikulski]], who represented the 3rd from 1977 to 1987. Mikulski was succeeded by Cardin, who held the seat until handing it to John Sarbanes upon his election to the Senate in 2007.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.elections.state.md.us/elections/2006/results/general/office_US_Senator.html | title=Official 2006 Gubernatorial General Election results for U.S. Senator | publisher=Maryland State Board of Elections | access-date=January 5, 2010}}</ref> {{PresHead|place=Baltimore, Maryland|source=<ref>{{cite web|url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS|title=Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections|first=David|last=Leip|website=uselectionatlas.org}}</ref>}} <!-- PresRow should be {{PresRow|Year|Winning party|GOP vote #|Dem vote #|3rd party vote #|State}} --> {{PresRow|2020|Democratic|25,374|207,260|4,827|Maryland}} {{PresRow|2016|Democratic|25,205|202,673|11,524|Maryland}} {{PresRow|2012|Democratic|28,171|221,478|4,356|Maryland}} {{PresRow|2008|Democratic|28,681|214,385|2,902|Maryland}} {{PresRow|2004|Democratic|36,230|175,022|2,311|Maryland}} {{PresRow|2000|Democratic|27,150|158,765|6,489|Maryland}} {{PresRow|1996|Democratic|28,467|145,441|9,415|Maryland}} {{PresRow|1992|Democratic|40,725|185,753|18,613|Maryland}} {{PresRow|1988|Democratic|59,089|170,813|2,465|Maryland}} {{PresRow|1984|Democratic|80,120|202,277|1,766|Maryland}} {{PresRow|1980|Democratic|57,902|191,911|14,962|Maryland}} {{PresRow|1976|Democratic|81,762|178,593|0|Maryland}} {{PresRow|1972|Democratic|119,486|141,323|3,843|Maryland}} {{PresRow|1968|Democratic|80,146|178,450|31,288|Maryland}} {{PresRow|1964|Democratic|76,089|240,716|0|Maryland}} {{PresRow|1960|Democratic|114,705|202,752|0|Maryland}} {{PresRow|1956|Republican|178,244|140,603|0|Maryland}} {{PresRow|1952|Democratic|166,605|178,469|4,784|Maryland}} {{PresRow|1948|Democratic|110,879|134,615|8,396|Maryland}} {{PresRow|1944|Democratic|112,817|163,493|0|Maryland}} {{PresRow|1940|Democratic|112,364|199,715|3,917|Maryland}} {{PresRow|1936|Democratic|97,667|210,668|1,959|Maryland}} {{PresRow|1932|Democratic|78,954|160,309|7,969|Maryland}} {{PresRow|1928|Republican|135,182|126,106|1,770|Maryland}} {{PresRow|1924|Republican|69,588|60,222|33,442|Maryland}} {{PresRow|1920|Republican|125,526|86,748|7,872|Maryland}} {{PresRow|1916|Democratic|49,805|60,226|2,382|Maryland}} {{PresRow|1912|Democratic|15,597|48,030|35,695|Maryland}} {{PresRow|1908|Republican|51,528|49,139|2,756|Maryland}} {{PresRow|1904|Democratic|47,444|47,901|2,192|Maryland}} {{PresRow|1900|Republican|58,880|51,979|2,149|Maryland}} {{PresRow|1896|Republican|61,965|40,859|3,777|Maryland}} {{PresRow|1892|Democratic|36,492|51,098|1,867|Maryland}} |} The [[United States Postal Service|Postal Service]]'s Baltimore Main Post Office is located at 900 East Fayette Street in the [[Jonestown, Baltimore|Jonestown]] area.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://usps.whitepages.com/service/post_office/33287?p=1&s=MD&service_name=post_office&z=bALTIMORE |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120702215231/http://usps.whitepages.com/service/post_office/33287?p=1&s=MD&service_name=post_office&z=bALTIMORE |archive-date=July 2, 2012 |title=Post Office Location—Baltimore |publisher=United States Postal Service / WhitePages Inc |access-date=May 5, 2009 }}</ref> The national headquarters for the [[United States Social Security Administration]] is located in Woodlawn, just outside of Baltimore. 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