A service of Salisbury University and University of Maryland Eastern Shore
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Baltimore Police Underprepared for Riots, Reports Says

msnbc

BALTIMORE (AP) - A new report says Baltimore police was underprepared and disorganized during the protests and rioting that followed the death of Freddie Gray.

The report, "Lessons Learned from the 2015 Civil Unrest in Baltimore," was conducted by the Police Executive Research Forum at the request of the city's former police commissioner, Anthony Batts. The report focuses on the police response from April 25 to May 3.

The report says the department's command center was overcrowded, officers had inadequate training and equipment, arrest policies were murky, and officers were unsure of who was in command positions.

Commissioner Kevin Davis says the department has already made changes and addressed many problems identified in the report, and continues to do so.

Gray died April 19, a week after he was injured in police custody.

Don Rush is the News Director and Senior Producer of News and Public Affairs at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.