Police Lockdown To End, ACLU Questions Constitutionality

BALTIMORE, MD — Blocks surrounding the area where a Baltimore homicide detective was fatally shot have been cordoned off with crime scene tape for four days. Fliers advertising the $215,000 reward for information in the death of Detective Sean Suiter waved from windshields along streets nearby Sunday afternoon.

Suiter was shot in the head Wednesday while investigating a 2016 homicide with his partner in west Baltimore. He saw a man "engaged in suspicious behaviors" on Bennett Place and went to approach him when there was a confrontation and Suiter was shot in the head, Police Commissioner Kevin Davis said.

Midday on Thursday, Suiter was pronounced deceased, as investigators canvassed the area for information that could lead to the shooter. The Harlem Park neighborhood was still on lockdown Sunday, with police asking for identification and those whose licenses did not show an address there denied entry. The ACLU raised questions about the constitutionality of the restrictions, which ended Monday morning.

"Our efforts to identify and arrest the perpetrator rely on the thoroughness of our investigation and our capacity to recover forensic, physical and other evidence," the Baltimore Police Department said in a statement on Sunday. "The Baltimore Police Department will be releasing the crime scene and breaking down its perimeter in the Harlem Park community tomorrow morning. We appreciate the support and sensitivity from our community during this difficult time."

The shooter may have been wounded during the confrontation with Suiter, and investigators said they believed the suspect was still in the vicinity; authorities were considering the possibility that people were treating the suspect for injuries in the area nearby, Davis said.

The American Civil Liberties Union for Maryland issued a statement on Sunday indicating that it was "troubled" by the lengthy lockdown of the neighborhood, which it said raised concerns about constitutionality.

"While the search for a killer is, of course, a high priority for the police, the limits on lawful police behavior do not disappear even when engaged in that pursuit. And at least one federal appellate court has said that a similar police cordon and checkpoint system was unconstitutional...We are also troubled by reports that some persons entering or leaving the area have been subject to pat down searches, and that non-residents have been barred from entering the area," said David Rocah, senior staff attorney for the ACLU of Maryland, in a statement. "The need to secure a crime scene from contamination to preserve evidence does not, on its face, explain the wide area to which access has been restricted for days after the incident."

Continued Rocah: "The residents of Baltimore, and, in particular, the residents of the affected community, deserve a clear explanation from the City as to why this unprecedented action has been taken, what rules are being enforced, and why it is lawful." See the full statement from the ACLU of Maryland below.

Members of the neighborhood activist group Baltimore BLOC gathered around West Franklin Street near the restricted area Sunday, watching as detectives prohibited outsiders, including a pastor, from entering the neighborhood.

As of Sunday evening, the suspect remained at large. The body of Suiter, 43, was taken to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner over the weekend for an autopsy, which the police commissioner said would provide additional details.

Outside one rowhouse, several American flags had been planted in a memorial to the fallen detective.

The DEA has partnered with Baltimore Police, state of Maryland, FBI and other agencies in offering the $215,000 reward for information in the death of Detective Sean Suiter. People may text tips to 443-902-4824 or call Baltimore police at 410-396-2100.

• Reward For Baltimore Cop Killer Climbs To $215,000
• Baltimore Officer Shot In Head, Reward Offered

Here is the full statement from the ACLU of Maryland, issued on Nov. 19:

"The ACLU is concerned about the police cordon that is being imposed on the Harlem Park neighborhood, following an interaction that resulted in the tragic death of a Baltimore homicide detective. We are also troubled by reports that some persons entering or leaving the area have been subject to pat down searches, and that non-residents have been barred from entering the area.

"While the search for a killer is, of course, a high priority for the police, the limits on lawful police behavior do not disappear even when engaged in that pursuit. And at least one federal appellate court has said that a similar police cordon and checkpoint system was unconstitutional.

"The residents of Baltimore, and, in particular, the residents of the affected community, deserve a clear explanation from the City as to why this unprecedented action has been taken, what rules are being enforced, and why it is lawful. The need to secure a crime scene from contamination to preserve evidence does not, on its face, explain the wide area to which access has been restricted for days after the incident.

"On-the-ground information is scarce to those outside the cordon because access to residents, including by the media, has also been restricted. For that reason, we encourage anyone who has this kind of information to contact us at curtis@aclu-md.org.

Photos by Elizabeth Janney taken on Sunday, Nov. 19.