Striking a balance between maintaining community safety and enacting meaningful reform remains a critical challenge for some police departments in the United States. This challenge is particularly pronounced in Baltimore, where public trust in police has diminished.
In 2016, a U.S. Department of Justice investigation revealed the Baltimore Police Department likely made thousands of unconstitutional arrests from 2010 to 2015, often under the guise of “officer safety.” This led to a federal consent decree mandating court-ordered changes to policies, training, oversight and accountability.
Baltimore police leaders hope to prove that police reform and crime reduction are not mutually exclusive.
This is showing not just here in Baltimore, but across these United States of America. You can reduce crime and violence in a city, but you don’t have to overly criminalize the community and you can police in the right way, a constitutional way.
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott
“This is showing not just here in Baltimore, but across these United States of America,” Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott told CNN. “You can reduce crime and violence in a city, but you don’t have to overly criminalize the community and you can police in the right way, a constitutional way.”
Data shows crime in Baltimore trending downward, with violent crime and property crime decreasing and homicide rates down by 17%. The latest oversight assessment indicated a significant reduction in civil liberties being violated in 2022 and showed improvements since revising policies and training.
With the rise of bodycams and cell phones, police are under increased pressure to remain calm in potentially triggering situations. Officers are now trained to regulate emotions by understanding the connections between thoughts, feelings and actions.
This training acknowledges that police experience repeated trauma, leading to hypervigilant behavior, and aims to improve self-regulation and gain public trust.
Scott has emphasized the importance of community policing and investments in recreation and parks to address challenges and offer opportunities for positive change.
“We also have to constantly be doing more community policing, being out in the community, investing on the front end,” Scott added. “This is why we’re putting historic levels of investment into recreation and parks and programming for our young people, so that we’re doing the both ends — that we’re offering opportunities for people to change their life through our group force reduction strategy.”
As reform continues under the consent decree, challenges persist for Baltimore’s police department and its citizens. Homicide rates remain among the nation’s highest despite a downward trend, while gun violence against children and teens has risen in 2023.
Baltimore is grappling with a worsening officer shortage, as well. Earlier this year, the police union claimed BPD was at least 700 officers short of a full staff.
