Judge denies USA request to delay Baltimore police reform hearing

Sessions suggests that it is not the responsibility of the federal government to manage non-federal police departments which is his entire basis for this review (aka his attempt to undo) of the DOJ agreements with certain police departments.

The pause was swiftly condemned by Mayor Catherine Pugh and Police Commissioner Kevin Davis. Residents young and old, black and white, asked the court not to let the police department off the hook, and to maintain a role in forcing reforms through the consent decree. On Monday, April 3, 2017, the Department of Justice, the very agency that helped city officials root out the police department's worst problems and build a roadmap to reform, signaled it may abandon those efforts in favor of cracking down on violent crime.

But, he said, a better trained police force would support public safety and foster "mutual respect" between police and the community. We shouldn't have to wait for the next controversial killing by police to ensure this reform is fully realized in Baltimore.

FILE - In this July 30, 2015 file photo, a man walks past a corner where a victim of a shooting was discovered in Baltimore.

Almost 50 people testified at a public hearing on the consent decree between the U.S. Department of Justice and Baltimore City, even as the Justice Department sought to delay its implementation. But Gore said the Trump Justice Department wanted more time to see if there "may be better ways" to bring about reform. A hearing is set for Thursday.

The agreement, known as a consent decree, was reached in January and mandated significant reforms to the Baltimore police force.

Thursday's hearing is expected to draw hundreds of people.

Bredar said that while the court "hopes to hear from all who sign up", the hearing will end at 5 p.m. regardless of whether everyone who signed up to speak has been heard.

"The primary objective of this hearing is to hear from the public; it would be especially inappropriate to grant this late request for a delay when it would be the public who were most adversely affected by a postponement", he wrote in an order on Wednesday afternoon.

Though it had been anticipated for months, Sessions's call for a review of the Justice Department's consent decrees was met with immediate criticism from civil liberties advocates, who view the binding legal agreements, overseen by independent monitors, as a vital tool for reforming abusive police practices and departments.

The DOJ began the investigation into the Baltimore PD after the in-custody death of Freddie Gray, which led to riots throughout the city.

President Trump would like to terminate the two dozen agreements reached between police departments and the Obama administration.

Ralph said the department is undergoing many changes in light of the findings, including adding the use of police body cameras and devising new approaches to address mental health challenges among residents that police encounter.

With the hearing for the settlement scheduled for Thursday, District Court Judge James Bredar complained that the request was "untimely" and came at the "eleventh hour". "The City of Baltimore is ready to move forward to rebuild the important relationship which exists between the community and our police department".

Be Civil - It's OK to have a difference in opinion but there's no need to be a jerk.

Despite Sessions' threat, Baltimore officials were prepared to move forward with the prescribed reforms, with or without the consent decree in place.

"I believe part of what happens with this consent decree is it opens up the opportunity to get more resources", Pugh said.