Baltimore asks U.S. Justice Department to review police practices

Baltimore officials asked the U.S. Justice Department to investigate its police department for civil rights violations after the death of a black man from injuries sustained in police custody, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said on Wednesday. The review will look into police practices such as frisks, street stops of suspects and arrests to see if they violate the U.S. Constitution, Rawlings-Blake said at a news conference. The request follows the April 19 death of Freddie Gray, 25, who sustained spinal injuries after being arrested by police. His death sparked protests and a day of arson and looting in the largely black city, and Maryland Governor Larry Hogan lifted a state of emergency for Baltimore on Wednesday.

Continue reading...