Baltimore State's Attorney Reveals 307 Officers with Credibility Concerns

BALTIMORE — The Baltimore City State's Attorney, Marilyn Mosby, has made public the names of 307 police officers who have faced internal affairs complaints, which raises questions about their credibility in court. This disclosure follows an order from Maryland's Court of Special Appeals.

The release stems from a lawsuit filed by the Baltimore Action Legal Team (BALT) in December 2019, after Mosby acknowledged the existence of such a list during a presentation to the State Commission to Restore Trust in Policing. Initially, Mosby resisted releasing the list, citing an older law that restricted access to police disciplinary records.

In October 2021, a court ruling compelled her office to disclose an initial list of over 100 names, which included officers who had either pleaded guilty or been convicted of crimes, sustained Internal Affairs complaints, or were involved in pending criminal trials. Many of these officers are no longer serving in the department, including some linked to the notorious Gun Trace Task Force scandal.

However, the newly released list differs in that it includes officers against whom complaints were made but were ultimately deemed unfounded or unsubstantiated. This nuance has led to significant backlash from the Baltimore City Fraternal Order of Police, which has accused Mosby of dishonesty and labeled numerous officers on the list as “good, brave, and credible.”

In response to the criticism, Mosby clarified that the list is not a “credibility list” or a “do not call list,” asserting that the criteria for such a list are available on the State's Attorney’s website and regularly updated. She emphasized that the recent list contains names of officers with allegations that may not have been substantiated.

Baltimore Police Commissioner Michael Harrison noted that many officers included in the list are still actively involved in court testimonies to aid prosecutions.

BALT has indicated that they will continue to seek further information regarding officer misconduct records, stating, “This list is one piece of the puzzle in our fight for transparency.” They have expressed frustration over the City Solicitor’s office withholding officer files, necessitating legal action to obtain these records.

Reported by HarborBeat based on WMAR 2 News Baltimore (source).