Baltimore mayor seeks DOJ probe of police, promises body cameras

Source: Baltimore Sun

ltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake on Wednesday asked the U.S. Department of Justice to probe city police practices and said officers will have body cameras by 2016.

Rawlings-Blake, in a morning news conference, noted that complaints of police brutality have been down, and highlighted other improvements by the department.

"We have seen results from these efforts," she said. But she said more efforts must be made to build on reforms that have already been put into place.

"We have to get it right. Failure is not an option," she said. The mayor said the department of Justice will investigate what "systemic challenges exist in our department." At the end of the process, she said she will hold those accountable if changes are not made.

Read more: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/politics/bs-md-ci-doj-partnership-20150506-story.html