Baton Rouge's murder rate collapses by 23% in 2022

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Amid two years of surging bloodshed, Baton Rouge poured resources into grassroots efforts that sought to mediate conflicts before they explode into violence — initiatives that local officials strongly credit for a 23% dip in homicides last year.

Now the focus has turned to reducing the death rate even more.

Entrenched poverty and disinvestment will pose huge obstacles to that goal, officials say, as they caution that substantial reduction in the killing will likely happen over years, not months. Yet there are signs that Baton Rouge is turning a corner.

As recognition of the recent progress, a national anti-violence coalition enlisted the city-parish in an effort to reduce killings in four major American cities by 20% over the next five years — an attainable goal, local leaders say, considering the emergence of a new grassroots infrastructure that drove the past 12 months' improvements.

"While we are happy to see a decrease in the number of homicides, let me be very clear: We are by no means counting this as a home-run victory, but more so as a successful plan," Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome said at an event Thursday announcing the partnership.

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