ACLU: Baltimore Residents Lived In 'Police State' After Officer Shot
BALTIMORE (WJZ/AP) — The American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland says body-camera footage from the days after a Baltimore police detective was fatally shot shows neighborhood residents "living in a police state."
Det. Sean Suiter was killed in November, a day before he was set to testify before a grand jury probing corrupt colleagues.
The Baltimore Sun reports that the footage shows officers stopping everyone entering the Harlem Park neighborhood and residents having to show identification. The ACLU said the stops showed a disregard for residents' constitutional rights.
Police cordoned off the neighborhood for five days to investigate Suiter's murder.
"The law doesn't allow these suspicion-less stops by police at will--of everybody and demands for papers," David Rocah of the ACLU said. "That is the definition of police state."
Police have said it was necessary to cordon off the neighborhood to ensure the safety of the community, preserve the crime scene and pursue leads.
An independent review, named early this month, will examine the police response and investigation.
RELATED: Independent Review Board Meets To Discuss Slain Baltimore Detective
The videos were provided in response to separate Public Information Act requests by The Baltimore Sun and the ACLU.
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