"Though Baltimore is still among the most deadly cities per capita, as murder has declined more steeply across the country, the drop extends an overall downward trend in gun violence here over since 2007, the year Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III took office. The 196 slayings in 2011 were the fewest since 1977, and represent just the third time since the 1960s that the city recorded fewer than 200.



In 2010, 223 people were killed.



"For me, it's clear that these reductions in violent crime will be helpful in growing the city," Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said. "Families deserve to live in safe neighborhoods, and we're determined – no matter what neighborhood you live in, no matter what zip code — to protect that right."