Justice Department report: Baltimore Police routinely violated civil rights

Baltimore police routinely violated the constitutional rights of residents by conducting unlawful stops and using excessive force, according to two people familiar with the findings of a long-anticipated Justice Department probe expected to be released Wednesday.

The practices overwhelmingly fell on the shoulders of the city’s black residents in poor neighborhoods, according to the sources, who did not want to be identified prior to the report’s release.

Launched after the April 2015 death of Freddie Gray from injuries sustained while in police custody, the wide-ranging probe uncovered deep and systemic problems with how Baltimore officers do their jobs and how they are policed themselves, the people said.

Gray’s death, which triggered rioting captured on live television, was one of several recent killings nationwide of unarmed black men by police officers. The deaths have provoked a nationwide conversation about race, discrimination and police practices. It has also exposed deep rifts between police and the communities they serve.

Read more: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-ci-doj-report-20160809-story.html