Arrests for robberies, handgun and auto theft offenses in Baltimore City have dropped across the board so far in 2025, though juveniles make up a greater percentage of these offenders in two categories compared to last year.
Lisa Reynolds, chief of the Baltimore Police Department’s new Youth and Community Partnerships Division, presented arrest data Tuesday for these offenses through May 28. She was prompted by a question from Baltimore City Councilman Paris Gray, who wanted to see specific figures for juvenile offenders.
Juvenile crime numbers
Reynolds’ data showed that 362 arrests for robbery have been made in Baltimore City so far in 2025, of which 81 of those arrested were juveniles. This puts the city on pace to see 893 overall robbery arrests this year, with 200 of them being juvenile robbery arrests, or 22.3%.
In 2024, 189 of the 1,009 arrests made for robbery in Baltimore City were juvenile offenders — 18.7%.
For handgun-related offenses, 39 of the 670 (5.8%) arrests made this year have been juveniles, putting the city on pace to see 96 juvenile arrests and 1,652 overall handgun arrests in 2025. These figures would surpass the 61 juvenile arrests and 1,631 overall handgun arrests made in 2024, when juveniles accounted for just 3.7% of the total, according to the data.
For auto thefts, 72 of the 283 (25.4%) arrests made so far this year have been juveniles, putting the city on pace to see 178 juvenile arrests and 698 overall auto theft arrests in 2025.
Of the three crimes covered by Reynolds, only auto thefts would drop from 2024 levels this year if current arrests trends continue. Last year, the city saw 194 juvenile arrests and 715 overall auto theft arrests, meaning those under 18 accounted for 27.4% of the offenders.
‘Small number’ of offenders
Despite the increased ratio of juvenile arrests to overall arrests this year, BPD leaders stressed the problem is driven by relatively few individuals.
Reynolds told the Baltimore City Council that in 2025, BPD has passed along 136 “paper-referred youths” to the city’s Department of Juvenile Services to address misdemeanor offenses they committed. The department has coordinated 246 juvenile bookings for more serious felony offenses, she said.
Reynolds added that BPD has identified about 50 “repeat offenders” who are committing increasingly serious offenses.
“What I mean by that is that they’re getting re-arrested, the chronicity of that arrest is increasing, as well as the escalation in offenses,” Reynolds said. So what we’re trying to do is work with our partners to better understand what services they need.”
BPD Commissioner Richard Worley put the number of repeat juvenile offenders at “100 or 200” out of “60,000 kids between the age of 10 and 19” in Baltimore City.
“We have a lot of young people that are doing exceptional things in this city,” Worley told the council. “Unfortunately, the small number that aren’t are the ones that do need the attention to get on the right path, and we’re trying to do that.”
For his part, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott’s “Summer Youth Engagement” strategy has sought to address the juvenile crime issue by minimizing “unnecessary youth interactions with law enforcement” this summer. As part of the initiative, nine recreation centers in the city will be open until 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays from June 20 to Aug. 16.
“This strategy reflects our values,” Scott said in April of his efforts. “We’re not just criminalizing our young people for simply being outside and being Black.”
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