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Mayor & Police Develop New Initiatives To Stop Baltimore Crime

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Struggling to combat crime. With homicide rates on trend to surpass record numbers the city saw in May, the mayor and new police commissioner roll out new initiatives.

Christie Ileto has more on their plan to stop the violence.

Crime scene tape and homicide detectives. This is Monday in Baltimore.

"I was mad with the first homicide. I was frustrated with the first loss of life," said Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake.

Twenty-one shot and seven dead over the weekend. A snapshot of the city violence police are trying to tackle by returning community police forums and creating a proverbial "war room" that brings police brass, city leaders and the feds to the table.

"You can't put a puzzle together unless you're in the same room putting together all the pieces," said Interim Police Commissioner Kevin Davis. "What this does is give us the ability to sit in a room and figure this out. We're in a midst of a violent crime crisis."

Thirteen days into July and 24 are dead. We're on track to surpass the 42 homicides we saw in May.

With a slight nod, Commissioner Davis believes this is being fueled by gang violence.

"I don't agree," said Oscar Cobbs.

Cobbs says curbing crime starts with one thing.

"Officers walking, patrolling our streets and biking so that they might be able to see and be involved," he said. "Unless they're talking about that kind of community policing, war rooms aren't going to make it."

It's an issue Cobbs says he will address once the public safety forums start---hoping to stop what's become the new normal for the city.

There have been 166 homicides so far this year.

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