The Cost of Police Reform in Baltimore

Baltimore’s mayor is asking the state to chip in $30 million for police reforms she expects to be mandated by a consent decree with the U.S. Justice Department. That court-enforceable decree is still being worked out, but our guest tells us these changes are costly because cities like Baltimore have put off reforms for decades. Years of neglect mean that the remedies - such as a warning system to spot troublesome behavior by officers - will be expensive. Criminal justice expert Samuel Walker is Professor Emeritus of Criminal Justice at the University of Nebraska. He has written more than a dozen books on policing and criminal justice, and has advised police departments across the country.