Federal judge removes oversight of three consent decree sections after sustained compliance
By the Office of the Mayor of Baltimore Baltimore City is now in compliance or on track with over 83 percent of the Federal Consent Decree. Ahead of the April 23, monthly Consent Decree hearing, Mayor Brandon M. Scott, Police Commissioner Richard Worley and City Solicitor Ebony M. Thompson announced that U.S. District Judge James […] The post Federal judge removes oversight of three consent decree sections after sustained compliance appeared first on AFRO American Newspapers.
Black News 
By the Office of the Mayor of Baltimore
Baltimore City is now in compliance or on track with over 83 percent of the Federal Consent Decree.
Ahead of the April 23, monthly Consent Decree hearing, Mayor Brandon M. Scott, Police Commissioner Richard Worley and City Solicitor Ebony M. Thompson announced that U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar has terminated three sections of the BPD Consent Decree — First Amendment Protected Activity, Coordination with Baltimore City School Police, and the Community Oversight Task Force — after finding the City and BPD in sustained compliance.
This is the second time that individual sections of the Consent Decree have been terminated from the Court’s oversight and supervision. This development highlights the city’s efforts to fulfil the requirements outlined in the Consent Decree, and represents another milestone for the Department and the City of Baltimore, as more than 83 percent of the decree is now in compliance or on track.
“Behind these achievements are countless men and women taking action, each and every day, to build trust with the residents they serve,” said Mayor Brandon M. Scott. “As BPD continues to make historic progress to fulfill the Consent Decree, we see the impact: historic declines in violence, stronger relationships between sworn officers and our communities, and more effective Constitutional policing. We know there is still work ahead, but I am confident that we are on the right path, and I continue to give my gratitude to the men and women of the BPD who have made this happen.”
The Consent Decree required BPD to overhaul its policies, develop new training and improve oversight related to these three sections. These areas were found to be in full and effective compliance for more than one year of the sustainment period.
“Reaching sustained compliance in these areas is another important step forward in our ongoing efforts to strengthen and modernize the Baltimore Police Department,” said Police Commissioner Richard Worley. “I am proud of our members for their continued commitment to building trust and serving our communities. Through strengthened policies, training and enhanced accountability, we are holding ourselves to a higher standard, continually evaluating and refining our practices to ensure meaningful, lasting progress under the consent decree. The public can be confident that these efforts reflect real and lasting change within BPD as we work to deliver effective, constitutional policing.”
“Sustained compliance requires convincing the Court and the DOJ that reform has so been incorporated into BPD’s culture that the Department can be trusted to maintain these changes in the future without oversight,” said City Solicitor Ebony M. Thompson. “This progress, coupled with the historic violence reductions achieved under Mayor Scott and Commissioner Worley, reinforces the point that public safety and constitutional policing are not an either-or proposition. Instead, Baltimore is showing the whole country that the two go hand in hand.”
The City and DOJ filed a joint motion asking the Court to find BPD in sustained compliance with these sections of the Consent Decree earlier this month. Currently, two additional sections are going through their sustainment period, with multiple sections close to final assessment by the Monitoring Team.
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