BALTIMORE — The Baltimore Police Department is “turning the corner” in reforming unconstitutional policing practices, according to the federal judge overseeing the city’s consent decree with the U.S. Department of Justice.
But it’s not sufficiently sharing that progress with the communities it serves — a vital piece of rebuilding trust and repairing damaged relationships, U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar said at Thursday’s quarterly public hearing.
“If the department is going to regain the community’s trust, support and collaboration, then the department has to show that it is worthy of that trust, support and collaboration,” Bredar said. “A huge part of that, of course, depends on how officers conduct themselves on the street. But another part is the department doing a better job of telling the story of what it is accomplishing.”
