After the death of 25-year-old Freddie Gray due to fatal injuries sustained during an arrest, Attorney General Loretta Lynch has announced that the Baltimore Police Department will be investigated by the U.S Department of Justice, CBS reports.
The Justice Department “will seek to determine whether there are systemic violations of the Constitution or federal law by officers.”
“Rather than examining whether the police department violated good policies, we will examine if they violated the constitution and the community’s civil rights,” Lynch said during a press conference on Friday (May 8).
The investigation will focus on the the department’s use of force, their stops, searches, arrests and whether discriminatory practices are frequent within the department.
“If unconstitutional policies or practices are found we will seek a court enforceable agreement to address the issues and we will move forward to improve policing in Baltimore even as the pattern of practice investigation is underway,” Lynch saud. “Our goal is to work with the community, public officials, and law enforcement to create a stronger, better Baltimore.”
Baltimore State Attorney Marilyn Mosby recently charged the six officers involved in Gray’s death with a slew of charges that included second-degree murder.