Department of Justice announces investigation in Baltimore

The Department of Justice will conduct a civil pattern and practice investigation into Baltimore Police Department in the aftermath of the death of Freddie Gray, who sustained fatal injuries while in police custody last month.

Investigation Into Baltimore Police

The investigation will also look into the department’s use of force including deadly force, and its stops, searches and arrests, as well as whether there is a pattern or practice of discriminatory policing, according to a statement sent to Newsone:

“Our goal is to work with the community, public officials, and law enforcement alike to create a stronger, better Baltimore,” Lynch says in the statement. “The Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division has conducted dozens of these pattern or practice investigations, and we have seen from our work in jurisdictions across the country that communities that have gone through this process are experiencing improved policing practices and increased trust between the police and the community.”

The investigation comes at a time when law enforcement departments around the country are under intense scrutiny over allegations of brutality against Blacks. Lynch hopes to use Baltimore as a framework to help other cities overhaul their police departments, encouraging other cities to see whether recommendations can be applied in their own communities.

“Ultimately, this process is meant to ensure that officers are being provided with the tools they need – including training, policy guidance and equipment—to be more effective, to partner with civilians, and to strengthen public safety,” Lynch says in the statement.

At a policing conference, the Baltimore police commissioner, Anthony W. Batts, said he did not object to an outside investigation, stating that he was committed to reforming the Police Department. He said he recognized that Baltimore residents did not trust the city to make changes voluntarily.

“I am willing to do anything it takes to win that trust back,” he said. “If it’s D.O.J., whatever it takes.”

Gray’s death sparked ongoing protests, some violent, in Baltimore reigniting national outrage over police misconduct and excessive force by police.

“The situation in Baltimore involves a core responsibility of the Department of Justice — not only to combat illegal conduct when it occurs, but to help prevent the circumstances that give rise to it in the first place,” Ms. Lynch said on Capitol Hill on Thursday.