(Baltimore, MD) – The Baltimore Police Monitoring Team is presently developing a Monitoring Plan for its work under the Consent Decree between the Baltimore City Police Department, the City of Baltimore, and the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division. The plan will be reviewed by the parties to the Consent Decree, and once finalized, submitted to U.S. District Court Judge James K. Bredar for his approval.
As it formulates the Monitoring Plan, the Monitoring Team will seek to assess the views of community members. In the coming weeks, the Team will hold four large community forums, one in each of the four quadrants of the City—north, south, east, and west. The dates and locations for the forums are as follows:
- November 21, Mervo High School
- November 28, Douglas High School
- November 29, Dunbar High School
- December 19, Harford Heights Elementary School
All forums will run from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Participants need only attend one forum but are welcome to attend as many as they choose. Registration for the forums is suggested, but not required. Registrations is requested so that the Team can plan appropriately for seating and serving light fare. Register by emailing info@bpdmonitor.com.
During the forums, the Monitoring Team will inform community members about its responsibilities under the Consent Decree and will seek to gain insight into community expectations about the reforms and reform process envisioned by the Consent Decree. Trained facilitators will focus participants on the community-engagement objective of the forums using inclusive, neutral, community-based facilitation techniques.
To receive alerts and information from the monitoring team, sign up for communications at www.bpdmonitor.com or contact info@bpdmonitor.com.
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The Baltimore Police Monitoring Team oversees the implementation of the Consent Decree – a judicially-enforceable agreement – between the Baltimore City Police Department, the City of Baltimore and the United States. The Consent Decree requires BPD to adopt a number of specific reforms aimed at ensuring effective, safe, and constitutional policing. The Monitoring Team’s job is to help the Court gauge whether, consistent with the Consent Decree’s objectives, BPD is achieving meaningful reform by making tangible changes in its policies and practices for the benefit of Baltimoreans. The Monitoring Team also provides technical assistance to BPD as it seeks to implement the reforms required by the Consent Decree. The Monitoring Team includes specialists in policing and police reform, civil rights enforcement, psychology, social science, organizational change, data and technology, and community engagement.