Leave Canceled For Baltimore Cops As Officer Trial Comes To Close

The Baltimore Police Department will be fully staffed next week as the trial of Officer William Porter comes to a close.

Baltimore Police Commissioner Kevin Davis canceled leave for officers between Monday, Dec. 14, and Friday, Dec. 18, according to a statement the department released Friday.

“The community has an expectation for us to be prepared for a variety of scenarios,” Davis said. “This cancellation is part of preparedness...”

• Defense Done Calling Witnesses in Freddie Gray Case
• Officer William Porter Called as Witness in Own Defense
• Prosecution Rests in Officer Porter Trial: Report

This is not the first time police leave has been suspended. Leave was also canceled for two days in September as pretrial hearings began for the six officers charged in the death of Freddie Gray.

Porter is the first on trial for his alleged role in the detainment of Gray, the 25-year-old Baltimore man who died in police custody April 19.

Hours after Gray’s funeral on April 27, riots erupted in parts of the city. Millions of dollars in property damage was reported, and Baltimore was placed under curfew for five days after the governor declared a state of emergency and sent in the National Guard to help control the situation.

“We must speak with one clear voice that the negative behavior associated with the unrest will not be tolerated,” Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said in a statement Friday. “...whatever happens, whatever the verdict, we will respect the process and the decision of 12 Baltimore city residents tasked with making their decision based on the law.”

Judge Barry Williams has said Porter’s trial will end by Dec. 17.

The defense rested its case Friday. Closing arguments could begin as soon as Monday.

Sworn officers will work 12-hour shifts and “leave will be restored as conditions permit,” according to police.