Policing in Baltimore in black and white
Visualizing the data on bias and more in the Justice Department report on the Baltimore Police Department
Above: The unconstitutional “patterns and practices” federal investigators found after a year-long investigation of the BPD. (Post Typography, for Baltimore Brew)
The magnitude of the unconstitutional stopping, searching and harrassing of African American people in Baltimore documented by the U.S. Justice Department last week was, even for those who have experienced it for generations, breathtaking.
All the patterns and abuses decried for years (and, to be honest, that were cited in a raft of previous reports) were laid out by the federal government in 163 data-rich pages – this time destined to become a legally-binding consent decree overseen by an independent monitor:
Excessive use of force, unnecessary stops for minor offenses or no offenses at all, glaring racial disparities and race and gender bias, failure to hold wrongdoers accountable and much more.
We hope these info-graphics make the report more accessible and invite readers to dive deeper, as the big question looms – what needs to happen next to make city law enforcement more effective, more just and truly accountable to the community it serves?
Links & Resources
Investigation of the Baltimore City Police Department
U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division (August 10, 2016)
BPD Agreement in Principle (August 10, 2016)
Community.Baltimore@usdoj.gov
Email contact for citizen input on the Consent Decree