Congresswoman Maxine Waters Responds to the DOJ’s Investigation of the Baltimore City Police Department

Washington D.C. - Congresswoman Maxine Waters issued the following statement in response to the United States Department of Justice's 163 page report outlining systemic civil rights violations practiced by the Baltimore City Police Department:

“The Department of Justice’s report on the Baltimore Police Department confirms what many in the African American community have known and fought against for years – that all too often, some police officers unfairly target African-Americans for unnecessary stops, searches, and arrests that violate their civil rights, destroy public trust and dismantle the lives of the residents they are sworn to protect, with little to no consequence for their actions. The report also made clear that, in the case of the Baltimore police Department, the discrimination ‘is driven by systemic deficiencies in BPD’s policies, training, supervision, and accountability structures.

Given the indictment of the Baltimore Police Department by the Justice Department the question becomes: what role will the Justice Department and the federal government play in ending discrimination within BPD and ensuring the Constitutional rights of African-Americans citizens? Ultimately, the report serves as yet another reminder that we must enact police reform that reviews and transforms police systems at every level throughout this country which will eliminate the tragic loss of lives and restore trust and safety in our communities.”