BALTIMORE (AP) - Baltimore police and civic leaders have kicked off a 60-day partnership with five federal agencies to embed their special agents with that city's homicide detectives to counter a spike in homicides, and other violent crime.
Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake was joined by State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby, Acting Police Commissioner Kevin Davis, and U.S. representatives Barbara Mikulski, among others, to launch the Baltimore Federal Homicide Task Force.
The FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, ATF, Secret Service and U.S. Marshals Service are sending two special agents apiece to Baltimore, where they will work with homicide detectives in the streets.
July saw 45 recorded homicides, the highest number noted since 1972. That uptick comes after April rioting following the death of Freddie Gray, a black man critically injured in police custody.
