Justice Department to investigate Baltimore police for civil rights violations

U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch announced Friday that the Justice Department is launching a civil rights investigation into the Baltimore Police Department.

Previously, Lynch explained, her team had examined whether particular officers violated policies, but now it will look into whether the Baltimore Police Department violated the Constitution and the civil rights of residents.

“When I traveled to Baltimore earlier this week, I had the opportunity to see the significant work that the city and the police department had done with the COPS [Community Oriented Policing Services] Office over the last six months through a collaborative reform process,” she said at a press conference. “But despite the progress being made, it was clear that recent events, including the tragic in-custody death of Mr. Freddie Gray, had given rise to a serious erosion of public trust.”

To address this issue, city officials and community leaders called on Lynch to change the Justice Department’s approach to the problem, she said.

Investigators will examine whether Baltimore police engage in practices that violate the Constitution or federal law.

“This investigation will begin immediately and will focus on allegations that Baltimore Police Department officers use excessive force, including deadly force; conduct unlawful searches, seizures and arrests, and engage in discriminatory policing,” she said.

She thanked the Baltimore Fraternal Order of Police for its support and praised officers for their handling of the city’s recent riots.

“We have seen brave officers upholding the right to peaceful protest while also sustaining serious injuries themselves during the city’s unfortunate foray into violence,” she said.

In the coming days, attorney and investigators for the department’s Civil Rights Division and police experts will engage with law enforcement and community members, while examining policies, practices and available data, Lynch said.

“At the conclusion of our investigation, we will issue a report of our findings,” she explained. “If unconstitutional policies or practices are found, we will seek a court-enforceable agreement to address those issues.”

The division has conducted dozens of similar investigations into the patterns and practices of various police departments.

Lynch says communities that have gone through this process have seen increased trust and improved policing practices.

“In fact, I encourage other cities to study our past recommendations and see whether they can applied in their own communities,” she said. “Ultimately, this process is meant to ensure that officers are being provided with the tools that they need.”

Lynch, who was sworn in last week, has to deal with the tensions between law enforcement and the communities they patrol — an issue that dominated the final years of her predecessor, Eric Holder, in the position.

Allegations of police misconduct in Baltimore drew national attention last month following the death of 25-year-old Freddie Gray. The young man was arrested on April 12 and died of spinal cord injuries on April 19.

Riots broke out in the streets of Baltimore that reminded many people of the rioting that devastated the city for two weeks in April 1968, following the assassination of civil rights hero the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Others saw a correlation between the Gray incident and other high-profile deaths of African-American men at the hands of police officers over the past few years, such as the killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo.

Gray’s death was ruled a homicide, and the six officers involved in his arrest now face a variety of criminal charges, including second-degree murder, misconduct in office, and false imprisonment.

Lynch lamented that Gray’s death and the subsequent rioting has come to represent the city for many outsiders.

She suggested others who better personify Baltimore: people who cleaned the streets after the riots, elected officials who were dedicated to uniting the neighborhoods they represent, youth leaders who are working toward a better future, and police officers who worked as many as 16 days without a break, focused on protecting the people in their community.

“They are Baltimore,” she said.

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