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City Council President renews request for Department of Justice Civil Rights Investigation into Baltimore Police

BALTIMORE, MD –In light of the tragic death of Mr. Freddie Gray, and the pleas for meaningful reform from the Citizens of Baltimore, City Council President Bernard C. “Jack” Young today renewed his request that the Department of Justice conduct a comprehensive, civil rights investigation into the policies, procedures, and practices of the Baltimore City Police Department.

The Council President’s letter to Attorney General Loretta Lynch is copied below in full:

May 5, 2015

The Honorable Loretta Lynch
Attorney General of the United States
U.S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20530-0001

Dear Attorney General Lynch:

First, allow me to congratulate you on your recent confirmation as our nation’s 83rd Attorney General.

Please accept this letter as a renewal of my request that the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division conduct a full-scale civil rights investigation into the Baltimore City Police Department’s policies, procedures and practices.

This request, which was originally submitted to your immediate predecessor on October 1, 2014, has taken on added significance in light of the civil unrest that resulted in the aftermath of the death of Mr. Freddie Gray, who suffered a fatal spinal cord injury while in police custody on April 12. 

As I stated in my original letter, the systemic mistreatment of members of the African-American community by some officers within the Baltimore Police Department helped contribute to a strained relationship between police and the citizens who depend on them for protection and service. The City of Baltimore is in desperate need of a binding federal review of the police department in order to repair this fractured relationship. 

I am encouraged by the fact that the DOJ is currently conducting a civil rights investigation into the circumstances surrounding Mr. Gray’s death, but I strongly believe that the inquiry should extend to the entire police department. While a voluntary review – overseen by the Office of Community Oriented Police Services – is currently underway, these deep-rooted problems require federal intervention capable of producing legally-binding results.

On behalf of the citizens of Baltimore, I implore you to also turn your full investigative power toward helping us reform the policies, procedures and practices of our entire police department so that we might finally begin the process of healing the fractured relationship between our citizens and members of the police force.

Sincerely,

Bernard C. “Jack” Young
President, Baltimore City Council

Warren Branch
Member, Baltimore City Council 

Mary Pat Clarke
Member, Baltimore City Council

Robert Curran
Member, Baltimore City Council

Bill Henry
Member, Baltimore City Council

Helen Holton
Member, Baltimore City Council

James B. Kraft
Member, Baltimore City Council

Sharon Green Middleton
Member, Baltimore City Council

Edward Reisinger
Member, Baltimore City Council

Carl Stokes
Member, Baltimore City Council

William “Pete” Welch
Member, Baltimore City Council