Over at Cato’s Police Misconduct site, we have selected the worst case for the month of August. It’s the Baltimore Police Department (BPD). 

Although the misconduct has been festering for many years, our selection is based upon the investigative findings of the Department of Justice, which were published in a report last month.

Here are a few of those findings:

• The BPD engages in a pattern or practice of making unconstitutional stops, searches, and arrests;
• The BPD engages in a pattern or practice of using excessive force;
• The BPD engages in a pattern or practice of retaliating against people engaging in constitutionally-protected speech;
• The BPD has allowed violations of policy to go unaddressed even when they are widespread or involve serious misconduct;
• The BPD has failed to take action against offenders known to engage in repeated misconduct.

Because the problems run deep, it would be a mistake to focus all of our attention on the police department itself. The political establishment of Baltimore knew there were problems, but failed to address them. It remains to be seen whether the reform rhetoric we have been hearing will be followed by real action.