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Push for Police Reform After Conviction of Two Baltimore Officers

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BALTIMORE (AP) - State lawmakers in Maryland are pushing police reform legislation in the aftermath of a federal trial that convicted two Baltimore police detectives of robbery, extortion and racketeering.

Del. Bilal Ali, a Baltimore Democrat, is sponsoring a bill to grant a person at least $50,000 for each year they are wrongly imprisoned, with a maximum award of $5 million. Although the bill doesn't expand eligibility for such awards, it creates a new award calculation in cases of "law enforcement misconduct." At least four men arrested by members of the police department's Gun Trace Task Force have had their cases overturned or have been released early from prison.

Del. Cory McCray, another Baltimore Democrat, is sponsoring a measure to require state auditors to evaluate the effectiveness of the police department's financial management practices. That's after members of the task force acknowledged scamming the department out of overtime.

Don Rush is the News Director 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.