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Mayor asks U.S. Justice Dept. to investigate Baltimore police


    Washington, May 6 (EFE).- Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake on Wednesday asked the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate "the patterns and practices" of her city's police force, the activities of which have been called into question following the death of Freddie Gray from injuries he suffered while in police custody.

    At a press conference, the mayor announced that the Justice Department will investigate the challenges facing the local police, as well as whether officers engage in discriminatory practices or use excessive force.

    "We have to get it right. Failure is not an option," Rawlings-Blake said. "In order to achieve the kind of sustainable and significant reform that we want to see, that I want to see, that the citizens want to see in Baltimore, I am requesting the Department of Justice conduct a federal pattern or practice investigation into the Baltimore city police department."

    The mayor's announcement comes one day after U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch visited Baltimore and met behind closed doors with the family of Gray, who died on April 19 after suffering a spinal injury during his arrest a week before.

    In a statement, Justice Department spokeswoman Dena Iverson said that the Civil Rights Division had received the Baltimore mayor's request to investigate the activities of the local police and was "actively" considering it.

    During her remarks, the mayor also announced that local police officers will be required to wear body cameras with an eye toward increasing supervision of their activities while on duty.

    The mayor also acknowledged the difficulties in the relationship between Baltimore residents and the police, despite her efforts since taking over the office to change the practices and culture of law enforcement authorities.

    The six police officers involved in Gray's arrest have been charged. Three of the officers are African American.

    The investigation requested by the mayor is similar to the one undertaken by the Justice Department in Ferguson, Missouri, where last August the shooting death of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown by a white police officer led to significant street protests and violence.

    The report produced on that occasion concluded that Ferguson police officers routinely violated the Constitution by detaining people for no apparent cause, using excessive force against them and searching them because of racial prejudice.

    Both in Ferguson and in Baltimore, the deaths sparked serious disturbances that led city authorities to impose night curfews for several days and deploy the National Guard to help keep order.