Federal Judge Denies DOJ Request To Delay Police Consent Decree Hearing

A federal judge has denied on Wednesday the Department of Justice's request to delay the Baltimore police consent decree. A hearing is set for Thursday.

In his order, Judge James K. Bredar noted the request was filed "slightly more than two days before the hearing is scheduled to begin" and said the unique nature of the public fairness hearing makes a such a last-minute delay logistically difficult for court officials.

"For instance, because of the demands that this proceeding will place on Court personnel, other judges in the district have cancelled their dockets for April 6," Bredar wrote. "Court employees have been reassigned from their normal functions for that day and have been specifically trained to perform unique functions before and during the hearing."

He said the federal government failed to prove any harm would come from holding the hearing as scheduled, and that a delay would inconvenience members of the public who arranged to be away from work, school and other obligations to participate in the hearing.

"To postpone the public hearing at the eleventh hour would be to unduly burden and inconvenience the Court, the other parties, and, most importantly, the public," Bredar wrote.

City officials said they are prepared to proceed Thursday with the next step in the process to finalize the Baltimore police consent decree.

The city formally filed an objection to the DOJ's request. On Wednesday, Mayor Catherine Pugh and Police Commissioner Kevin Davis again stressed the consent decree is a must for police reform.

"I am pleased to learn that the request for a continuance by the Justice Department was denied by the federal judge overseeing the police consent decree," Pugh said in response to the Wednesday ruling. "The City of Baltimore is ready to move forward to rebuild the important relationship which exists between the community and our police department.

Over the past two years, Baltimore police have equipped officers with body cameras, and transport vans now have cameras and better safety equipment. But Davis said some might be surprised by what the $500 million city Police Department doesn't have.

"We don't have computers in our police cars yet. I got the first computer in my car in 1998," Davis said, referencing equipment he had while serving with the Prince George's County Police Department.

It's not just cars that are lacking up-to-date technology. Davis said the record-keeping system is so out of date that detectives must wait weeks for crime reports to track suspects and spot trends.

"Right now, the handwritten reports that are transported via horse and buggy to our records management are entered manually, and the time it takes to get them available to our detectives is about six weeks," Davis said.

In 2010, then-Commissioner Fred Bealefeld touted GPS technology to track the location of officers. But Pugh and Davis said the city has failed to keep up with technology investments to hold officers accountable and investigate crime.

"It's that type of investigative tool that, for whatever reason or for many reasons, Baltimore has chosen over the years not to invest in that technology," Davis said.

The consent decree agreement with the DOJ devotes an entire section to technology. It requires the Police Department to make costly upgrades.

The mayor said that once the city gets a signed consent decree, the money will follow.

"I believe part of what happens with this consent decree is it opens up the opportunity to get more resources," Pugh said.