STATEMENT: Mayor Rawlings-Blake Statement on DOJ Acceptance of Request For Pattern-or-Practice Investigation of Baltimore Police Department
Stephanie Rawlings-Blake Mayor, 250 City Hall • Baltimore, Maryland 21202 • 410-396-3835 • Fax: 410-576-9425 Better Schools. Safer Streets. Stronger Neighborhoods. |
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
CONTACT |
Friday, May 8, 2015 |
Kevin R. Harris |
Mayor Rawlings-Blake Statement on DOJ Acceptance of Request For Pattern-or-Practice Investigation of Baltimore Police Department Investigation Will Build on Reforms, Help Change Culture of Department |
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BALTIMORE, Md. (May 8, 2015)—Today, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake released the following statement in response to the U.S. Department of Justice’s decision to accept her request of a “pattern-or-practice” investigation into the Baltimore Police Department: “I am pleased the Department of Justice has agreed to my request for a “pattern-or-practice” investigation into the Baltimore Police Department. Our city is making progress in repairing the fractured relationship between police and community, but bolder reforms are needed and we will not shy away from taking on these challenges. The problems we are confronting in Baltimore are not unique to our city. They did not occur overnight and it will take time for Baltimore to heal and move forward. I believe we must continue to act boldly to realize the changes we all want to see. My goal is to achieve an enforceable court ordered agreement that ensures accountability as we work to restore trust between police and community.” The efforts by Mayor Rawlings-Blake and Police Commissioner Anthony Batts are already showing progress. In 2014, citizen complaints alleging excessive force were down 46 percent. Police discourtesy complaints were down 53 percent. Notices of lawsuits alleging police misconduct are down dramatically over the past three years. The Police Department is also reporting greater success at punishing officers who are accused of misconduct. The request -- made formally this week under statutory code 42 U.S.C. § 14141 – comes after Mayor Rawlings-Blake met with Attorney General Loretta Lynch in Baltimore to discuss the circumstances of the past several weeks and the broader issues confronting not only Baltimore City, but the nation. According to the Department of Justice, the Baltimore Police Department will now undergo a thorough and independent investigation to seek out any persistent patterns of misconduct, focusing on such areas as excessive force, discriminatory policing, and improper stops, searches or arrests. Federal officials will issue a detailed report at the end of the process, and – if any patterns or practices of unlawful policing are found – a reform agreement, or Consent Decree, would likely be negotiated. Over the past several years, Mayor Rawlings-Blake and Commissioner Batts have taken a number of steps to build greater trust between the police and the community, including:
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