As Baltimore marks the tenth anniversary of Freddie Gray's death, a federal judge has recently ruled that the Baltimore Police Department has made enough progress to end court oversight in certain areas of its consent decree with the Department of Justice. The consent decree came into effect in 2017, following a DOJ investigation that found a pattern of unconstitutional policing in the city, sparked by Gray's death after a police transport incident. According to WMAR-2 News, last week's ruling acknowledged that the department maintained compliance for over a year in two areas: "transportation of persons in custody" and "officer assistance and support."
The judge's decision, seen as a milestone, suggests a recognition of the efforts taken by the police department, which overhauled policies, implemented extensive training, and upgraded vehicle maintenance procedures. At a memorial event last Saturday morning, Mayor Brandon Scott highlighted the department's improvements, telling attendees, "The Baltimore Police Department has improved tremendously since 2015 and we'll continue to do that every part of the department," as FOX Baltimore reported. However, in the past fall, areas such as impartial policing, use of force, and misconduct investigations remained under the court's oversight.
Explaining the impact of the partial termination of the decree, WYPR detailed the specific reforms made by the police to ensure safer transportation of detainees. These included updated vehicles equipped with recording systems and monthly checks to ensure seatbelts were maintained, with speeds monitored and recorded. Despite Thursday's ruling, which released the department from two sections of the decree, the report made it clear that the consent decree is far from over, with fifteen sections still requiring improvement.
