BALTIMORE — From systemic legal violations to setting an example for others. The Baltimore Police Department has come a long way in eight year's time. Now, it's two steps towards becoming independent of the Department of Justice and court oversight.
"I'm a little bit biased but I think we're gonna be the model for policing. We're headed in that direction. Five or 10 years ago, I'd never thought that," Baltimore Police Commissioner Richard Worley said. "If we can police our city and we can police ourselves, the only thing that's going to do is lower crime and bring more people back to the city."
Last week, a judge agreed the department had maintained compliance in two areas and removed them from the Consent Decree, the first provisions to be lifted since it entered into the agreement with the DOJ in April 2017.
While strides have been made, there are still strides to go. 15 provisions remain in place.
"We have three others that are in the process of going through the one year of compliance and then we have several others that are really close," Worley said.
Under the agreement, before removal, the department must achieve and maintain compliance for one year.
Worley hopes the decree will be done by the time his contract is up in 2028.
During his state of the city speech, Mayor Brandon Scott touted the department's efforts without as many staff.
Baltimore Police Commissioner on becoming a "model" department
Currently the department is at 80% staffing, down by 500 officers.
"They're doing this work to restore pride and trust with our communities," Scott said. "BPD is doing their work with fewer sworn officers while reforming, that's especially meaningful as we mark 10 years since the death of Freddie Gray."
The staffing has made it complicated to meet all of the Consent Decree's requirements, like freeing up officers for community policing or completing internal investigations within a timely manner.
So, they've relied on overtime payments to keep up the work.
Worley says they will likely go over budget this year, but says it was money well spent.
There are now 150 recruits in the academy, with the largest classes Worley has seen in years.
As the culture of the department has shifted, he's seen many learn to embrace what's come with more oversight, including himself.
"I was one that doubted the Consent Decree. I didn't know what it was when it first came out, but all it does is give you the blueprint within the Constitution to do constitutional policing," he said. "We do more training now than we've ever done in my 27 years. I've had the best training I've ever had in my 27 years," he added.
Though the agreement may be close to ending, he believes it's not a reason to stop the work but to keep driving it forward.
