Loretta Lynch launches civil rights probe into Baltimore police

Attorney-general Loretta Lynch announced an investigation into whether the Baltimore police department engaged in a pattern of civil rights abuses, saying the community's trust in law enforcement had been "severed" after the death of Freddie Gray.

The probe comes as Baltimore returns to normalcy after the turmoil following the death of Mr Gray, a young black man who died on April 19 from spinal cord injuries sustained while he was in police custody.

The investigation will examine whether police officers used excessive or deadly force, engaged in unlawful seizures or arrests, or discriminatory policing.

His death sparked the worst protests in the city since 1968 when Martin Luther King was assassinated. A curfew was imposed and the National Guard were brought in during the two-week protest in which buildings were set on fire and stores were looted.

On Wednesday, Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake asked for a so-called "pattern or practice" investigation into the Baltimore police department. Ms Lynch, the first black female top law enforcement official in the US, said Friday that investigation would begin immediately.

"We have watched [Baltimore] through the prism of one of the most challenging issues of our time, the issue of police-community relations," said Ms Lynch, who visited Baltimore earlier this week to meet community and city leaders. "The community's frayed trust was even worse and in fact was severed."

The death of Mr Gray is the latest incident that has sparked public anger against police officers. Protests have erupted across the US after unarmed black men were killed by law enforcement in separate incidents in Ferguson, Missouri and on Staten Island in New York City.

The DoJ will issue a report after the Baltimore investigation. If the police department is found to have violated the civil rights of citizens, the DoJ will seek a court-enforceable agreement to address the issues, Ms Lynch said.

The DoJ was already conducting a review of whether the Baltimore police department violated policies as part of a voluntary, collaborative process. But Ms Lynch said the DoJ concluded that because the problems in Baltimore were more serious than initially believed, an investigation was needed.

Last week, six police officers were arrested for alleged offences related to Mr Gray's death, with charges ranging from second degree murder to manslaughter and misconduct.

The swift action by Marilyn Mosby, the top prosecutor in Baltimore, was lauded by the black community but legal experts cautioned that obtaining a conviction could be challenging.

Ms Mosby emphasised the charges are not an indictment of the entire police department, while Ms Lynch also noted the dedication of Baltimore police officers.

"I have no illusions that reform will be easy; the challenges we face did not arise in a day, and change will not come overnight," Ms Lynch said. "But the people I met in Baltimore - from protesters to public officials to an officer who had been injured amid the violence - all said the same thing: 'I love my city, and I want to make it better.'"

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