The Consent Decree between the city of Baltimore, the Baltimore Police Department and the Department of Justice was the result of a damning report in August 2016 that described a pattern or practice of unconstitutional misconduct by Baltimore police, which has disproportionately affected the city's communities of color.
When Judge James Bredar signed the Consent Decree this past Friday (April 7), it became an order of the court.
So now, what’s next? What will court oversight of the police department look like? How will the Trump Justice Department be involved with an agreement reached during the waning days of the Obama administration? And if the police department is committed to reform on its own, why is a consent decree necessary?
Joining Tom to address these questions are four people who've been closely following the evolution of Baltimore's Consent Decree over the past two years:
Monique Dixonis Deputy Director of Policy for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund;
David Rocah is the Senior Staff Attorney at the ACLU of Maryland;
Bishop Douglas Miles is Pastor of the Koinonia Baptist Church and Co-Chair Emeritus of BUILD, Baltimorians United In Leadership Development;
and Kevin Rector covers the courts and crime for the Baltimore Sun.
