Baltimore Police found fully compliant in two more sections of federal consent decree
The Baltimore City Police Department is one step closer to being in full compliance with the federal consent decree.
The Consent Decree Monitoring Team and a federal judge found the department is in full compliance with its technology, and recruitment and retention sections.
Within the past year, the police department was found to have updated its hiring practices and improved its technology.
BPD has grown by 81 sworn officers within the past year. However, the department is still short more than 400 officers. The judge said that's the biggest impediment to exiting federal oversight.
The department says that 82% of the consent decree is either in compliance or on track to be compliant.
BPD is fully and effectively compliant in seven areas of the consent decree -- Technology, Recruitment and Retention, Transportation of Persons in Custody, Health and Wellness, Community Oversight Task Force, First Amendment, and Coordination with School Police.
"We continue to make meaningful progress toward fulfilling the consent decree, and this marks another important step toward full compliance," Baltimore Police Commissioner Richard Worley said. "I want to thank our technology and recruitment teams and everyone who has worked tirelessly to get us here. We remain committed to these reforms as we transform into a world-class police department, serving our city with honor and distinction."
What is the federal consent decree?
The federal consent decree was implemented in the aftermath of the in-custody death of Freddie Gray in Baltimore in 2015. Gray died while he was being transported by police, which sparked protests in the city.
The consent decree has been in effect since 2017, following a 2016 Department of Justice report that outlined widespread abuse, excessive force, unlawful stops, and discriminatory policing by the Baltimore Police Department. It outlined 18 areas for needed improvement.
In 2024, the police department launched the Consent Decree Dashboard to show transparency during the process.
"I want to congratulate BPD on two important milestones in their ongoing work to fulfill the Consent Decree," Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said. "Modernizing the Department and strengthening recruitment and retention have been priorities since well before I took office. Eight years ago, BPD was still largely a paper-based entity; today, it is a national model for 21st century policing. Likewise, as we've continued to strengthen relationships between BPD and our residents, we've seen more folks joining the Department to support our comprehensive approach to reducing violence in our city."