The mayor of Baltimore has requested that the Department of Justice probe the practices of the city's police department.
According to the Associated Press, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake announced her decision a day after Attorney General Loretta Lynch traveled to Baltimore yesterday to meet with community leaders. BuzzFeed reports that Rawlings-Blake wants the DOJ to investigate whether or not the Baltimore Police Department is guilty of utilizing excessive force:
Rawlings-Blake said she is asking the DOJ to conduct a civil rights investigation into the police department’s patterns and practices of stops, searches and arrests that may violate the Fourth Amendment.
She said the goal was to find the systemic issues in the police department that contribute to excessive force and discriminatory policing.
At the end of this process I will hold those accountable if change is not made, she said.
As the Associated Press notes, the Department of Justice is already looking into the circumstances surrounding the arrest and death of Freddie Gray. Last week, Gray's death was ruled a homicide, and all six officers involved in his arrest have been charged.
[via Associated Press and BuzzFeed]
