Letter to Eric Holder, Attorney General - Freddie Gray Investigation

Letter

Dear Attorney General Holder:

As you are aware, earlier this week, Maryland resident Freddie Gray died after sustaining injuries while in custody of the Baltimore City Police. On Monday, the Police Department held a press conference detailing the events that led to his death, but unfortunately this has only led to more questions than answers. The people of Maryland deserve transparency, truth, and accountability -- and to have confidence that the police in their community are there to protect and serve.

While the community continues to cope with Mr. Gray's death, I commend the Department of Justice for promptly responding to these concerns and officially opening up an investigation to determine whether any prosecutable civil rights violations occurred. I also support the Department's continued investigation into the excessive use of force by Baltimore Police. I also applaud the leadership of Mayor Rawlings-Blake, who has called for both an internal and independent investigation into what happened.

More broadly, the tragic deaths of Freddie Gray, Eric Garner, Michael Brown, Walter Scott, and so many others only underscore the need to reform our criminal justice system and the relationship between the police and the communities they have sworn to protect. Since the tragic shooting in Ferguson last summer, I have joined with many of my colleagues in Congress to call for solutions that address this serious matter. This includes having police departments that are more representative of the communities they serve, equipping police officers with body cameras, and ensuring that any death while in police custody is reported to the Department of Justice.

Please keep me updated on the progress of this investigation as well as the ongoing investigations in other parts of the country. I am hopeful that the Department will complete its investigation into Mr. Gray's death in a timely and thorough manner and look forward to working with the Justice Department and my colleagues in Congress to make necessary reforms to our law enforcement system.

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