Baltimore Cops Charged with Civil Rights Abuses

Baltimore Police Department Found Guilty of Systemic Civil Rights Violations

In a shocking turn of events, the Justice Department announced today that it has found reasonable cause to believe that the Baltimore City Police Department (BPD) engages in a pattern or practice of conduct that violates the First and Fourth Amendments of the Constitution as well as federal anti-discrimination laws.

According to the investigation, BPD makes stops, searches and arrests without the required justification; uses enforcement strategies that unlawfully subject African Americans to disproportionate rates of stops, searches and arrests; uses excessive force; and retaliates against individuals for their constitutionally-protected expression.

“Public trust is critical to effective policing and public safety,” said Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch. “Our investigation found that Baltimore is a city where the bonds of trust have been broken, and that the Baltimore Police Department engaged in a pattern or practice of unlawful and unconstitutional conduct, ranging from the use of excessive force to unjustified stops, seizures and arrests.

The investigation, which was led by Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta, focused on BPD’s use of force, including deadly force; stops, searches and arrests; and discriminatory policing. The probe involved interviewing city leaders and police officials, including BPD Commissioner Kevin Davis, former commissioners and numerous officers throughout all ranks of the police department; accompanying line officers on dozens of ride-alongs in every police district; and conducting hundreds of interviews.

The city and the BPD have entered into an agreement in principle to work together, with community input, to create a federal court-enforceable consent decree addressing the deficiencies found during the investigation.

In May 2015, Attorney General Lynch announced the comprehensive investigation into the BPD after considering requests from city officials and hearing directly from community members about a potential pattern or practice of constitutional violations.

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