Young Worried About City's Liabilities In Cases Related To Gun Trace Task Force

Baltimore Mayor Bernard C. "Jack" Young said he's worried about the burden placed on city coffers by lawsuits related to the Gun Trace Task Force.

"Well, you know, we have our budget challenges... with the consent decree that we have to continue to repay, with the Kirwan [Commission] issue that's facing us and our constant water main breaks where we have to do emergency repairs, I'm very concerned about that," Young said.

The Kirwan Commission is the state commission that has called for billions in state and local funding to meet education goals.

Numerous former Baltimore police officers tied to the disgraced and disbanded task force lied to secure search warrants and shook down Baltimore residents, stealing cash and drugs. Many of the drugs were then resold back onto the street. Nine former officers are now in federal prison for their roles in the scandal.

To date, 11 cases have been filed in federal court, nine have been filed in state court. Another 60 claims have also been filed according to Andre Davis, the city solicitor.

Plaintiffs are those arrested by GTTF detectives who argue their rights were violated by corrupt acts.

The city is generally on the hook when police officers are found liable for their conduct.

Davis has argued that the city should not be forced to pay for the officers' misdeeds, a position Young echoed in his Wednesday press briefing.

"It was outside the scope of their job," Young said. "Why should the city be liable for something that's outside the scope of their job?"

Young said the city has a number of unfunded federal mandates to meet, including the police consent decree. Millions of dollars in judgments could hamper the city's ability to pay those bills, Young said.

"We already have the highest property tax in the state and there's no other resources that we can tap into if we get sued and they win," Young said. "It's just mind-boggling. I just don't know what to say about that."

Nearly 20 years ago, the city of Los Angeles paid out $120 million in claims related to the Ramparts police corruption case.

No one in Baltimore has floated an estimate of potential GTTF-related liability, but if the city loses its legal argument, the taxpayer will have to foot the bill.

"Somebody said, 'You know, shouldn't there be a fund like the 911 fund to pay people?' Well that fund exists, it's called the general fund. Baltimore City is self-insured. So, the money is there, question is to do we have to pay it," Davis said.

Davis said the possibility of payouts leading to a municipal bankruptcy has "come up, but nowhere close to a serious consideration."

Like WBAL on Facebook Download the WBAL Smart Phone App

WBAL-TV 11 lead investigative reporter Jayne Miller contributed to this report.