Report: Baltimore Police "Stopped Noticing Crime" as Murder Rate Rose
In the weeks after the death of 25-year-old Freddie Gray — who fell into a coma after being transported in a police van, handcuffed but not seat-belted — the number of "on-view" incidents and street contacts reported by police plummeted.
According to a report by USA Today, following the rioting over the death of Freddie Gray, Baltimore police officers "in nearly every part of the city appeared to turn a blind eye to everyday violations" with the number of potential violations they proactively pursued dropping by almost half.
In the weeks after the death of 25-year-old Freddie Gray — who fell into a coma after being transported in a police van, handcuffed but not seat-belted — the number of "on-view" incidents and street contacts reported by police plummeted.
"From 2014 to 2017, dispatch records show the number of suspected narcotics offenses police reported themselves dropped 30 percent," USA Today reported. "The number of people they reported seeing with outstanding warrants dropped by half. The number of field interviews — instances in which the police approach someone for questioning — dropped 70 percent."
"In all candor, officers are not as aggressive as they once were, pre-2015," Acting Police Commissioner Gary Tuggle told USA Today.
According to USA Today, Baltimore is "easily the deadliest large city in the United States."
Last year, 342 people were killed.
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