Baltimore police commits to sweeping changes in deal with US
BALTIMORE — The Baltimore police department committed to a sweeping overhaul of its practices Thursday under a court-enforceable agreement with the federal government.
The Justice Department agreement , which was approved by the city government and will now be submitted to a judge, mandates changes in the most fundamental aspects of police work. The agreement, known as a consent decree, is the culmination of months of negotiations with the federal government and is meant to correct constitutional violations identified in a scathing report released last year.
The filing of the agreement, in the waning days of Attorney General Loretta Lynch’s tenure, is meant as a capstone for an administration that has made civil rights enforcement a key priority and that has pursued similar consent decrees with other large American police forces.
“Through this agreement, we are moving forward together to heal the tension in the relationship between (the city police department) and the community it serves,” Lynch said at a news conference announcing the agreement.