Rep. Elijah Cummings says the Justice Department's report on the Baltimore Police Department validates what many city residents already know, that the trust between police and communities "is in desperate need of repair."
Cummings said in a statement that the statistics in the report released Wednesday are "astounding" and the violations of rights are unacceptable. The report finds that Baltimore police officers routinely discriminate against blacks, use excessive force and are not adequately disciplined for misconduct.
Cummings says he looks forward to the Justice Department's suggestions for solving the problems.
In a statement, Sen. Ben Cardin says he will work with the delegation and federal agency partners to make sure Baltimore has the resources needed to carry out wide-ranging reforms. He says Baltimore's residents who were denied justice and equal treatment under the law are owed? the opportunity to make the police department a model for the nation.
