Baltimore asks Justice Department to probe discriminatory police practices
The US Department of Justice has been asked to launch an investigation into the Baltimore Police Department for patterns of abuse or discrimination after the city plagued with unrest over the death of a black man from injuries sustained in police custody.
Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said on Wednesday that she had asked the Justice Department to investigate “if our Police Department has engaged in a pattern of stops, searches or arrests that violate the Fourth Amendment,” and what factors “contribute to excessive force or discriminatory policing.”
The Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution is the part of the Bill of Rights that prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures and requires any warrant to be judicially sanctioned and supported by probable cause.
"Throughout my administration, we have taken a number of steps to change the culture and practices of the Baltimore Police Department," said the mayor.
"Despite this progress, we all know that Baltimore continues to have a fractured relationship between the police and the community," she added.
The mayor’s request follows days of protests which erupted over the death of Freddie Gray on April 19, a 25-year-old African American who died of spinal injuries after being arrested by police.
She made the announcement a day after a visit by Attorney General Loretta Lynch, who pledged to improve the police department.
She said she had told Lynch in a private meeting Tuesday, that she intended to ask for an investigation into whether there is a “pattern or practice” of policing producing civil rights violations. She said Lynch “understands the urgency of this request.”
Baltimore's chief prosecutor, Marilyn Mosby, said on Monday that her office's investigation determined that Gray's death was a homicide, adding that his arrest was illegal and his treatment in custody amounted to murder and manslaughter.
Prosecutors charged the officers, including a lieutenant and a sergeant, with multiple counts including second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter in connection with the killing of Gray.
SB/GJH
Assange 'extremely unwell' as Biden says US may drop prosecution
Anti-Muslim incidents in US reach record high in 2023
AI models show bias in predicting depression among African-Americans
Top commander names four 'historic achievements' of Operation True Promise
VIDEO | Iranian attack and crisis of entity
UN chief: Israel’s war turned Gaza into 'humanitarian hellscape'
Meta's WhatsApp challenged for complicity in Israel’s Gaza genocide
Iran, Jordan underline need to stop Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza
Iran’s response to Israel will be ‘immediate, at maximum level’: FM
Gaza: No place for children
Voters begin casting ballots in weeks-long election in India
This makes it easy to access the Press TV website
