Baltimore Police Used Force 2,818 Times In Six Years. They Found One Violation.

WASHINGTON The Baltimore Police Department routinely abused residents civil rights, performed unconstitutional searches, retaliated against individuals exercising free-speech rights and failed to hold cops accountable for misconduct, according to a damning federal report .

The Justice Department report, to be formally released on Wednesday, confirms what some Baltimore residents already know that Baltimore police routinely and disproportionately stop, frisk and arrest poor black residents without legal justification.

Baltimores legacy of government-sanctioned discrimination, serious health hazards, and high rates of violent crime have persisted and compounded for years making Baltimore a challenging city to police fairly and effectively, the report says.

Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake requested the DOJ investigation of the police force in May 2015 after 25-year-old Freddie Gray, a black man, sustained a spinal injury following a rough ride in a police van and later died. Protests and riots rocked the city following Grays funeral , which residents said police handled with unnecessary aggression.

As the federal probe got underway, police equipped officers with body cameras, installed cameras in police vans, and provided commanders with additional training. Criminal charges were filed against six officers involved in Grays death. After three were acquitted, Baltimore States Attorney Marilyn Mosby last month dropped the charges against the remaining three officers . The DOJ report is likely a step in a reform process that will hold the police department accountable for making changes.

DOJ investigators found a police force infected by an us-versus-them mentality, with officers throughout the chain of command who openly harbor antagonistic feelings towards community members.

When asked about community policing, one supervisor said he didnt pander to the public, while another said he approaches Baltimore like a war zone. Officers told investigators they see themselves as controlling the city, rather than being a part of it, and said that many commanders view themselves as enforcing the will of the silent majority. One patrol officer emphasized the importance of being able to own the block.

Youve got to be the baddest motherfucker out there, the officer said.

Internal flyer from DOJ report on BPD..showing emphasis on petty arrests. VCID strategy popular under Bealefeld pic.twitter.com/7j76333iE9

Jayne Miller (@jemillerwbal) August 10, 2016","type":"rich","meta":{"author":"Jayne Miller","author_url":"https://twitter.com/jemillerwbal","cache_age":86400,"description":"Internal flyer from DOJ report on BPD..showing emphasis on petty arrests. 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Internal flyer from DOJ report on BPD..showing emphasis on petty arrests. VCID strategy popular under Bealefeld pic.twitter.com/7j76333iE9
Jayne Miller (@jemillerwbal) August 10, 2016

The report said Baltimores zero-tolerance policing strategies, which are outdated and ineffective tough-on-crime policies, disproportionately target black people and Latinos. Black people make up 63 percent of the citys population, but 86 percent of those charged with crimes.

Officers use force even when not required, according to the report. Police reported they used force 2,818 times over a six-year period, but internal reviewers flagged only 10 as worth investigating. Police found just one was an instance of excessive force.

Officers made at least 300,000 pedestrian stops from January 2010 to May 2015 most without reasonable suspicion, the report says. A black man was stopped crossing the street while wearing a hoodie in January 2013. The arresting officer thought it could be possible that the individual could be out seeking a victim of opportunity, according to the report.

About 44 percent of the stops were made in two black neighborhoods that include 11 percent of the citys population of 620,000. The report says many people were stopped at least 10 times. Seven men, the report says, each were stopped more than 30 times.

Having a federal official in the patrol car apparently was not enough to stop officers from constitutional violations, according to the report: