Juvenile crime has been rising in Baltimore, frustrating business owners who have to pay for lost goods and damaged property and residents who worry about their day-to-day safety. And despite assurances from law enforcement that violent crime is dropping in Baltimore, these types of cases are on track to increase this year, reports the Baltimore Sun. According to data from the Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office, 590 juvenile cases were charged in the first half of 2024, compared with 655 in all of 2023. In 2022, there were 334 such charges. Business owners and residents in the Canton and Patterson Park areas interviewed by the Sun expressed deep frustration with the police. They feel response times are slow, that police don’t follow up on reports they make and that juveniles are frequently immediately released after their arrests.
The Baltimore Police said in a response Tuesday that violent crime in Canton is down by 39%, which included a 22% reduction in commercial robberies. But a petition representing five other neighborhoods — Butchers Hill, Canton, Highlandtown, Fells Point, and Patterson Park — has garnered more than 3,000 signatures calling for the removal of the secretary of the Department of Juvenile Services, Vincent Schiraldi. And residents want more action from local lawmakers. Donna Ann Ward, the author of the petition: “Citizen Petition to Recall Vincent Schiraldi,” said she is frustrated by a lack of response from state leaders and local politicians who represent southeast Baltimore and blames DJS policies for the outbreak of juvenile crime.
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