On Wednesday, the Justice Department released a report concluding that the BPD systematically engaged in conduct that violates the US Constitution, and disproportionately targets African-Americans.
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The Justice Department launched its investigation in April 2015, after a 25-year-old black Baltimore resident named Freddie Gray died of spinal injuries sustained while in policecustody.
The practices overwhelmingly affected the city’s Black residents in low-income neighborhoods, according to the 163-page report.
There are many more stories: Police retaliating against residents who ask questions or make complaints, a man in handcuffs being tased five to six times, an officer kicking a man who was handcuffed and following commands, a juvenile and his sister arrested for “loitering” on the steps of their own house, arrests for people “just talking” outside, officers cursing at and threatening citizens, citizens arrested for cursing at officers. The Department of Justice paints a picture of obscene, systematic discrimination against people of color-one that isn’t exactly stunning after two years of Black Lives Matter protests across America, but serves as a reminder that the men and women policing some of the country’s largest cities still have a long way to go.
Police Commissioner Kevin Davis called the report and future reforms “a turning point for better policing not just in Baltimore, but in our United States”. But when the officer checked his pockets, he found no cash or drugs. That decree, which would lay out reforms that could be enforced by the courts, likely will not be finalized for many months.
“Those things didn’t grab their attention sufficiently – and what we ended up with is a tragedy, pain and suffering in the streets of Baltimore a year ago in the wake of Freddie Gray’s death”, Hosko, the former No. 2 in the agency’s criminal investigative division, told “The Hard Line” host Ed Berliner. “DOJ’s findings will serve to solidify our road map”, Davis said. The pattern or practice we found results from long-standing, systemic deficiencies at BPD. Likewise, African-Americans make up 95 percent of the 410 people stopped at least 10 times by officers from 2010-15. “You have officers courageously coming forward and saying this is wrong you shouldn’t be doing this-and they were punished for it”, he said. The Justice Department, however, indicated that these problems were systemic, caused by incorrect or unclear policies, insufficient training and inadequate resources, a lack of accountability by police officers, and in some cases, pressure from supervising officers.
All six officers who faced charges in Gray’s death escaped conviction.
The Justice Department report also found that Baltimore police officers tend to treat minors the same as they do adults and have no training in dealing with those with mental health issues.
Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake told reporters that change is already underway, with dozens of key policies revised, including the department’s use-of-force policy. Indeed, it was Ms. Mosby who was ordering the offensive policing in the area at the time of Gray’s arrest. Seven people-all of them black-were stopped more than 30 times. But the department needs a broader community policing plan that reaches all districts, the report indicates.
“It’s so very important that we get this right”.
The report also says officers routinely use unreasonable and excessive force, including against juveniles and citizens who aren’t risky or posing an immediate threat.
June White Dillard, an attorney who led the Prince George’s County chapter of the NAACP at the time, said she believed the impact of the Justice Department investigation was significant but acknowledged that it did not fix all the problems.
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Rawlings-Blake said Baltimore expected to spend between $5 million and $10 million a year to implement the agreement.
