Civil Rights Division

For nearly six decades, through the zigs and zags of our nation's history, the career men and women of the Civil Rights Division have worked tirelessly to advance justice and ensure equality. In so doing, they have helped transform our nation into a more just, more inclusive and more perfect union. During the last eight years, under the leadership of President Barack Obama, Attorney General Eric Holder and Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch, the division has continued to play a forceful and pivotal role in advancing this vision. Our work has made a tangible difference in the lives of countless individuals across the country. From policing and criminal justice reform to LGBT rights and voting, the division has fought discriminatory barriers and opened doors of opportunity for some of the most vulnerable among us, including people with disabilities, people of color, people living in poverty and people who speak English as a second language. This document provides an overview of key accomplishments and highlights from our work over the past eight years. It does not summarize every case brought or every brief filed. Rather, this document aims to convey a holistic story about the impact and scope of the division's efforts during the Obama Administration.

Today, we announce the outcome of the Department of Justice's investigation of the Baltimore City Police Department (BPD). After engaging in a thorough investigation, initiated at the request of the City of Baltimore and BPD, the Department of Justice concludes that there is reasonable cause to believe that BPD engages in a pattern or practice of conduct that violates the Constitution or federal law. BPD engages in a pattern or practice of: (1) making unconstitutional stops, searches, and arrests;(2) using enforcement strategies that produce severe and unjustified disparities in the rates of stops, searches and arrests of African Americans;(3) using excessive force; and(4) retaliating against people engaging in constitutionally-protected expression. This pattern or practice is driven by systemic deficiencies in BPD's policies, training, supervision, and accountability structures that fail to equip officers with the tools they need to police effectively and within the bounds of the federal law