Justice Dept. backs away from Balt. police overhaul

BALTIMORE — The Trump Justice Department expressed “grave concerns” Thursday about an agreement the Obama administration reached with the city of Baltimore to overhaul its police department in the wake of the racially explosive Freddie Gray case.

A government attorney weighed in on the proposed consent decree at a public hearing as about 50 Baltimore residents lined up to endorse the reforms and complain of deepseated racism, abuse and deadly force at the hands of the police.

“The consent decree needs to be passed for us to feel we can call on the Baltimore Police Department without them making us into the criminals when we are the victims,” said black high school student Shane-jah McCaffity.

But Justice Department lawyer John Gore said Attorney General Jeff Sessions is worried about whether the agreement “will achieve the goals of public safety and law enforcement while at the same time protecting civil rights.”

Mr. Gore pointed out that there has been a spike in crime in Baltimore.

The stand represents the start of what is viewed as a retreat by the Trump administration from the federal consent decrees that have been put in place in several U.S. cities in recent years to root out racism, excessive force and other abuses against minorities.

In April 2015, Baltimore erupted in the worst rioting in decades over the death of Mr. Gray, a 25-year-old black man whose neck was broken during what prosecutors said was a jolting ride in a police van while handcuffed and shackled.

The Justice Department launched an investigation and issued a scathing report outlining widespread mistreatment of black people, including excessive force and unlawful stops.

The agreement is subject to approval by U.S. District Judge James Bredar. It would then be up to him to make sure the parties abide by it.

The Obama Justice Department opened roughly two dozen investigations of police departments, and 14 of them ended in consent decrees, in such cities as Seattle. In Seattle on Thursday, the federal monitor overseeing court-ordered reforms issued a glowing report concluding the police department has carried out a dramatic turnaround.

In a memo made public this week, however, Mr. Sessions ordered a review of all such consent decrees, saying the federal government should not be managing local law enforcement agencies.