Loretta Lynch considering review of Baltimore police force
Attorney General Loretta Lynch is expected to tell lawmakers Thursday that she is considering a review of the Baltimore Police Department after the death of 25-year-old Freddie Gray, who was in police custody when he died.
"We're currently in the process of considering the request from city officials and community leaders for an investigation into whether the Baltimore Police Department engaged in a pattern or practice of civil rights violations, and I intend to have a decision in the coming days," Lynch will say, according to a copy of her prepared remarks.
Lynch went to Baltimore Tuesday to meet with the mayor, law enforcement officials and members of the community. She left the meetings with the sense that the city was working on its problems, but may need to do more. "Although the city has made significant strides in their collaborative reform efforts with the Community Oriented Policing Services Office, I have not ruled out the possibility that more may need to be done. We are listening to all voices," her remarks read.
Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said Wednesday that she asked the Justice Department to open the civil rights investigation to probe whether police discriminate and use excessive force on a broad scale.
After Gray's death from a severe spinal injury in police custody, violent protests ensued, and demonstrators said that the Baltimore Police Department engages in widespread abusive and discriminatory practices.
Lynch is testifying before a Senate Appropriations subcommittee on the Justice Department's budget Thursday morning.
CBS News Justice Department Producer Paula Reid contributed to this story