Attorney general launches investigation into Baltimore police operations
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department is launching a wide-ranging investigation into the operations of the Baltimore Police Department to determine whether officers engage in a pattern of biased law enforcement, Attorney General Loretta Lynch announced Friday.
Citing a "serious erosion of public trust,'' the attorney general said authorities would immediately begin to review allegations of excessive force, unlawful searches, seizures and arrests.
"If unconstitutional policies or practices are found,'' Lynch said, "we will seek a court-enforceable agreement to address those issues.''
Lynch's action comes after a round of meetings earlier this week in Baltimore, and Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake later requested the broad federal inquiry in an effort to reform the troubled department.
The mayor's request for the Justice Department's involvement was endorsed by the Maryland congressional delegation.
The Justice review would be separate from an ongoing federal inquiry into the fatal police encounter with Freddie Gray, who died last month in police custody. The 25-year-old man's death prompted days of violent protests in the city.
Six Baltimore officers have been charged in connection with Gray's death on April 19, one week after he suffered a severe spinal injury during or immediately after his arrest.
The Justice investigation, similar to a recent inquiry in Ferguson, Mo., would review all aspects of policing in the city to determine if bias exists in the department's arrest data, traffic stops and other operations.
"I have no illusions that reform will be easy,'' the attorney general said Friday. "The challenges we face did not arise in a day, and change will not come overnight. It will take time and sustained effort.''
Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., said the Justice Department's inquiry would help the city "get to the bottom of the breakdown in trust between the police and the community.''
"I asked the attorney general for this investigation last week because I fully believe that with her continued support and the assistance of the DOJ, we will rebuild that trust and become the Baltimore I know we can be,'' Cummings said.
Since 2009, federal authorities have reviewed the operations of more than 20 police departments across the country.
The series of inquiries and resulting public upheaval in Baltimore and last year in Ferguson is raising questions about all aspects of local law enforcement, from officers' dealings with minority to communities to the application of excessive force and officer safety.
During Lynch's remarks about Baltimore, in which she characterized police-community relations as "one of the most challenging issues of our time,'' the New York Police Department was mourning officer Brian Moore, who died Monday after being shot in the head last weekend while attempting to question a man in Queens. Thousands gathered Friday on Long Island to pay tribute to the 25-year-old officer.
In Washington, meanwhile, police chiefs gathered at a Thursday conference to re-examine policies related to the use of force.