Baltimore Commits To Police Reform Outlined By Feds

BALTIMORE, MD — Reporting on officer misconduct and avoiding making arrests for minor infractions like loitering or disorderly conduct are among 15 measures the Baltimore Police Department must take to make things right following a federal probe into the agency that began after the death of Freddie Gray.

Gray, 25, died in police custody in April 2015. He was detained after making eye contact with an officer and running. Following a 45-minute ride in the back of a police van that left him unconscious, he was taken to the hospital and died a week later. His funeral touched off riots and fires in the city streets.

U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch took office the day of Gray's funeral. Her first trip as attorney general, she said, was to Baltimore.

Nearly two years, later, a federal investigation found the department "deprived the people of Baltimore of the rights and protections guaranteed to every American..." Lynch said at a press conference Thursday in the city.

Baltimore and the U.S. Department of Justice signed off on these 15 measures to help rectify the situation, in a legally binding document called a "consent decree":

• Ensure officers use de-escalation tactics and resort to force in a manner proportional to a threat
• Transport detainees in a safe manner
• Investigate sexual assault cases thoroughly and without gender bias
• Supervise stops, searches and arrests, training officers to protect citizens' rights and avoid unnecessary arrests for low-level issues like loitering or disorderly conduct
• Equip officers with technology needed to do their jobs
• Train officers how to interact with young people, also reviewing with community organizations how to decrease involvement of juveniles in the criminal justice system
• Conduct a staffing study to ensure the number of officers and supervisors is sufficient, review hiring practices and implement an employee assistance program for wellness programs and support
• Prohibit discriminatory policing, in part by educating officers about implicit bias and how to mitigate it
• Train officers in community policing, create community engagement opportunities and release annual report on community policing efforts
• Send personnel trained in behavioral health to calls that require it
• Investigate allegations of officer misconduct carefully, ensuring disciplinary process is fair and issuing public reports on trends and practices regarding officer misconduct
• Train officers in First Amendment rights
• Incorporate public comment, officer input and court oversight into revisions of policies and procedures; revitalize field officer program
• Assess how Baltimore Police Department works with Baltimore City School Police
• Establish community oversight task force

Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh said that she saw progress already, stating the police department "has begun some critical reforms." For example, she said that cameras have been installed in all police vans, a point of contention after the mysterious death of Gray.

While it was a difficult time for the city, the death of Gray "perpetuated this coming-together," Pugh said.

Gray’s death was the subject of both criminal and civil rights investigations that put Baltimore in the national spotlight among high-profile cases in which police brutality was alleged. Ultimately, after three officers were acquitted, the state's attorney in July 2016 dropped charges against three officers awaiting trials in the case.

Although the criminal cases related to Gray's death did not yield individual convictions, the federal probe of policing in Baltimore uncovered systemic issues in BPD like racism that had been festering for decades.

For years, BPD had routinely violated people's rights, outlined in a Justice Department report released in August 2016 that called out BPD for making unconstitutional stops, searches and arrests; for the severe and unjustified disparities in the rates of stops, searches and arrests of African-Americans; for use of excessive force; and for retaliation against people engaging in constitutionally protected expression. The Justice Department studied policing in the city from 2010 to 2016 in making its assessment.

Agreeing to make the 15 changes outlined in the consent decree will "end the legacy of Baltimore’s 'zero tolerance' policing," Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta said.

"Baltimore has not stood still during this process," she added, stating: "BPD immediately began making improvements."

Among them were staffing changes led by Baltimore Police Commissioner Kevin Davis, who said when the Justice Department issued its findings in August that he had already released some officers.

Davis said that the federal agreement will "stand like a mountain" to address longstanding issues in the department, and he planned to discuss the document with his officers on Friday.

BPD has also been conducting a steady stream of outreach activities, such as training citizens on the use of force and diving into the BOSS (Bridging Officers and Students with Swimming) program.

Justice officials said they were confident in Baltimore's ability to change.

"...I know the Baltimore Police Department can become a model for the rest of the nation," Gupta said.

The next step is for a federal judge to sign off on the agreement and appoint a federal monitor to ensure the city follows through on the reforms.

Image of Baltimore City Hall by Elizabeth Janney.