Mayor Rawlings-Blake Issues Statement on President's Efforts to Strengthen Community Policing in Cities throughout the U.S.

BALTIMORE, Md. (December 1, 2014)—Today, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake issued the following statement regarding President Barack Obama's efforts to strengthen community policing in cities throughout the United States:

"I applaud President Obama for taking concrete steps that will further efforts already underway in Baltimore to bring more accountability and transparency to policing. My administration has embarked on an aggressive agenda to close the breach in trust between police and the community—including the adoption of several recommendations from the Baltimore Police Department's Strategic Plan for Improvement, successful recruitment of the Department of Justice's COPS Program to accelerate reforms across the department, reductions in the number of excessive force lawsuits filed against the city, and the formation of a working group to develop a comprehensive police body camera program. President Obama is right to act swiftly and boldly; and I urge Congress to do its part to support local jurisdictions, like Baltimore, as we move forward with an agenda to bring more trust, accountability, and transparency to policing."