The president of the Baltimore City branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) called the Department of Justice investigation into the Baltimore City Police Department long overdue but supported their findings.
Tessa Hill-Aston said while the federal report reveals discriminatory and unlawful practices, it also confirmed what some in the community have been trying to bring attention to.
"I'm just glad that we're at the point where the African American community can say and feel good that some of the men and women who have been abused by the police that they weren't lying about what happened to them," said Hill-Aston.
She commended Baltimore City Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and other city government officials for cooperating with the federal investigation and thinks Baltimore Police Commissioner Kevin Davis has been proactive in making reforms ahead of the report findings.
"You can have all the training in the world, and all the rules in the book but people have to have it in their heads and in their hearts to do the right thing in communities of color," Hill-Aston said.
She added that she's optimistic that with the report and oversight there will be new police training and eventually a rebuilding of trust between police and the community.
