Here are 2 great articles on Baltimore, a city on track to have the lowest annual homicides since the 70s. The 1st focuses on the city's highly success GVRS strategy and law enforcement, the 2nd emphasizes proven supports and services. Both are critically important.

Crime fell in the U.S. by record-setting amounts. Will trend continue in 2026? www.npr.org/2025/12/24/n...

Looking at the historic reduction in US homicides from many angles. I appreciate the Real-Time Crime Index data - 12-month rolling trends for 570 cities 2018-2025. But this graph from U Chicago Crime Lab made me appreciate what Baltimore and St Louis have accomplished from their peak to 2025.

2025 will be historic in terms of crime and violence reduction. Murder will drop by the largest one-year percentage ever recorded and fall to levels we haven't seen since the 60s.

It was a full house last night! The VRC is energized by the thoughtful dialogue helping shape public safety. We appreciate everyone who joined, including representatives from @durhamcounty.bsky.social and @cityofdurhamnc.bsky.social. Photos feature Mayor Leonardo Williams and @thomasabt.bsky.social.

We’re excited to welcome Amber Parker as the VRC’s new Deputy Director! Amber brings decades of experience in justice reform, violence prevention, and community safety, having worked across federal, state, and local systems. Read the full announcement below! www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...

The VRC is excited to join @cityofdurhamnc.bsky.social and @durhamcounty.bsky.social's strategy and learning session on violence reduction. @thomasabt.bsky.social will present highlighting how data-driven, community-centered interventions can reduce violence. We look forward to the conversation.

Welcome Amber Parker!!

Philly leads the way on these "clean and green" interventions that should be a component of most city anti-violence portfolios. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/12/h...

The Violence Reduction Center is excited to join @cityofdurhamnc.bsky.social and @durhamcounty.bsky.social as they launch the first phase of their Violence Reduction Plan. We’re grateful to be part of this effort to build a safer future for all communities. Read here: hoodline.com/2025/12/durh...

If you believe Trump is a law and order president, I have a bridge to sell you. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

Update: "The 'crime emergency' declared by President Donald Trump resulted in 932 arrests of immigrants with no criminal conviction or pending charge, federal data shows." www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/...

We should abolish presidential pardons. Neither side uses them responsibly. Make them go through Congress. www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...

Please support the VRC's life-saving work today!

A thoughtful op-ed from @startribune.com highlighting the framework Director @thomasabt.bsky.social presents in Bleeding Out. Addressing violence effectively requires focus, balance, and fairness. Read here: www.startribune.com/twin-cities-...

Update: "Officials have publicly identified only about 120 of [4000] as having a criminal arrest or conviction... When the operation began, the agency highlighted 11 serious released criminals... DHS did not answer questions about whether it had found them." www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/...

Detroit is looking for a new Director of Community Violence Intervention. See the link below. www.risehigherdetroit.com/jobs

Trump’s attack on our independent judiciary is an attack America itself.

Update: weapons seized down 73%, child exploitation indictments down 28%. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/25/u...

VRC Director, @thomasabt.bsky.social highlighted the VRC's white paper on Community Violence Problem Analysis (CVPA) at the National Research Conference for the Prevention of Firearm-Related Harms. CVPA is a key tool to reduce fatal & nonfatal shootings. Read here: vrc.umd.edu/sites/vrc.um...

Very pleased to see Knoxville's Project TLC recognized by both @bloombergcities.bsky.social and the IACP (links below). Kudos to Mayor Kincannon, Chief Noel, LaKenya Middlebrook and all the amazing folks who helped make it happen. The @vrcinfo.bsky.social is proud to partner with you!

Decades of rigorous research on gun violence interventions exist, but evidence is scattered. An updated meta-review is underway and was highlighted at the 2025 National Research Conference for the Prevention of Firearm-Related Harms by @thomasabt.bsky.social. Campbell Protocol: tinyurl.com/653rdh4d

Murder is down 14% relative to *2019* levels through September in the latest Real-Time Crime Index sample of 545 agencies. All signs continue to point to a strong likelihood that 2025 will feature the lowest murder rate ever recorded by the FBI (data back to 1960).

Has @washingtonpost.com adopted the term "criminal legal system? If so, that's a very bad idea. In an old Twitter thread of mine, I explain why: x.com/Abt_Thomas/s...

Disgusting. www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

This piece celebrates the work of community violence intervention, which is good and important, but I would have liked more acknowledgement that crime is also falling because of the work of law enforcement. In fact... www.washingtonpost.com/nation/inter...

If you’re in the nonprofit sector, you need to read this.

VRC Director @thomasabt.bsky.social and Research Associate Mark Mills had the opportunity of presenting at the @amersoccriminology.bsky.social annual conference. They presented on Obstacles and Opportunities for Evidence-Informed Anti-Violence Policy.

Read it and weep. Again.

This may be one of the biggest bait-and-switch moves of all time, and it's making the country less safe. Read on. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/16/u...

This may be one of the biggest bait-and-switch moves of all time, and it's making the country less safe. Read on. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/16/u...

Watch this brief but insightful presentation by @avpapachristos.bsky.social on using network science to better understand and address community gun violence. Understanding these networks is key to creating targeted interventions that can save lives and improve safety. www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnlH...

As in DC, violence was falling in Memphis before the surge began. More from @jeffasher.bsky.social below. jasher.substack.com/p/walking-in...

ICYMI I wrote about Memphis -- a city where shooting have dropped after a large Federal deployment but I have questions about the validity of data being reported about other crimes. jasher.substack.com/p/walking-in...

Mixed feelings about the federal surge in Memphis. The key will be sustainability, which is a question of resources and also of community trust. www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2025/...

Pleased to see this op-ed calling for the "Bleeding Out" approach in Minneapolis. Francis Shen does a nice job of summarizing the strategy. www.startribune.com/twin-cities-...

Gifting this article from The Atlantic by a judge appointed by Reagan, who is resigning so he can speak out about how Trump is destroying the rule of law. Must read. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...

Today, the VRC brought together voices from across sectors to discuss how social media can both impact and help prevent community violence. Real conversations, and real collaboration. Thank you to everyone who shared your solution-driven insights! Our white paper coming soon.

@jama.com convened 60 experts from diverse fields to design a forward-looking roadmap for significantly reducing firearm-related harm by 2040. Read more on evidence-informed strategies: jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

Important new JAMA report on reducing firearm violence. Take a look. jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

Read it and weep. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/30/o...

Trump will take credit, but DC's crime was falling fast before the surge. Hard to say if it even helped. And even if it did, it's not a sustainable strategy. www.thetrace.org/2025/10/dc-s...

Please read this @usatoday.com review of federal crackdowns in Chicago, Memphis, Los Angeles, Portland, and Washington DC. Happy to have contributed to this well-investigated piece. www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...

As @protectdemocracy.org has noted, the corruption on display this week was particularly breathtaking.

If you're interested in CVI strategies, this is worth a read.

@thomasabt.bsky.social, Director of the Violence Reduction Center, moderated a panel with key stakeholders focused on strategies that have led to a significant reduction in gun violence in New Orleans and how to ensure their sustainability. Watch here: vimeo.com/1121566754?f...

"The largest decline in murder recorded so far was last year’s 14.9 percent drop. Before that it was a 9.3 percent drop in 2023... [and we can] feel reasonably confident in a third straight year of record murder decline this year."

Freedom-loving Americans, which should be all Americans, should be deeply disturbed by this. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

In the St. Louis region, SaveLivesNow is using science to guide its crime strategy with promising initial signs. If it succeeds, people will need to know about it. www.stltoday.com/news/local/c...

Agree with Jeff Asher, who just released a deep dive on DC data: hard to see how the federal crackdown helped control crime. Maybe it did, but impact was small and impossible to distinguish from pre-existing downward trend.