By Tashi McQueen
AFRO Political Writer
tmcqueen@afro.com

The Baltimore Police Department (BPD) recently filed a joint motion with the Department of Justice (DOJ) announcing that BPD has reached full and effective compliance on two sections of their mandated consent decree. 

“Together with the DOJ, we filed a joint motion that BPD has reached a state of full and effective compliance on two sections of our consent decree: transportation of persons in custody and officer assistance and support,” said Baltimore City Commissioner Richard Worley at a live-streamed press conference on Jan. 17. “Reaching full and effective compliance with these two sections of the consent decree not only helps us build trust with our communities but also sends a message to our members that their health and wellness is a priority.”

The BPD Consent Decree Monitoring Team’s report in December 2023 found BPD to be in full and effective compliance with the two provisions.

The decree was spurred in part by the 2015 death of Freddie Gray, who died after sustaining injuries while being transported by BPD. The death influenced the DOJ to conduct a comprehensive investigation of BPD’s practices. A consent decree was approved in 2017 and the city complied to resolve inadequacies identified through the investigation. 

 “Under my administration, I am proud that for the first time in the consent decree’s nearly seven-year history, we are able to join DOJ in jointly recommending the court to find us in full and effective compliance with whole sections of the decree,” said Scott. “It is no coincidence that as we make progress in implementing the consent decree, we have also managed to achieve record-year reductions in violence in Baltimore City. In fact, 2023 was the first year that Baltimore has had less than 300 homicides since the death of Freddie Gray.”

There have been 11 homicides and 22 non-fatal shootings as of Jan. 23, according to BPD. Last year, on this same date, there were 17 homicides and 27 non-fatal shootings. 

According to the monitoring team report, BPD still needs to work on systematically documenting services offered to its personnel after traumatic events and the timing of such outreach. They also need to better document and label protests and demonstration-related activity. BPD must ensure their personnel adhere to supervisors’ instructions when unrest or demonstrations occur.

“Constitutional policing and the reduction of crime are inseparable components of our law enforcement strategy. They are not disparate goals; rather, they are interconnected elements that reinforce each other,” said Baltimore City Solicitor Ebony Thompson. “Today, we affirm our commitment to constitutional principles as the driving force behind our crime reduction initiatives. Together, we build a safer community where justice, fairness and respect for individual rights guide our path forward.”

Tashi McQueen is a Report For America corps member.