Baltimore Leaders To Block $2M For Legal Fees In Police Case
BALTIMORE (AP) -- Leaders on Baltimore's City Council say they'll block the mayor's $2 million proposal for outside lawyers to represent the city during the U.S. Justice Department's investigation of the police force.
The Baltimore Sun reports that the fees are in the same spending bill as a $6.4 million settlement with the family of Freddie Gray, who died after he was injured in police custody, putting the settlement at risk.
Council Vice President Edward Reisinger says council leaders want separate bills. He says leaders support the settlement, but the fees leave a "bad taste." President Jack Young says he believes outside attorneys will act as defense attorneys.
The Justice Department's collaborative review became a full-scale civil rights investigation after Gray's death. Investigations elsewhere have exposed problems that lead to costly federal oversight.
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