Officer reviews underway in Freddie Gray death

Associated Press

Saturday, July 23, 2016 | 4:14 p.m.

Two outside police departments are conducting investigations into the conduct of three Baltimore officers who have been cleared of criminal charges in the death of Freddie Gray.

Montgomery County police, with the help of Howard County officers, have launched reviews to determine whether Lt. Brian Rice and Officers Caesar Goodson Jr. and Edward Nero broke department policy during Gray's April 2015 arrest, the Baltimore Sun reported (http://bsun.md/2aos66E).

Gray died a week after his neck was broken while he was handcuffed and shackled but left unrestrained in the back of a police van.

So far, trials for four of the six officers charged in his death have led to three acquittals and a mistrial. Internal investigations into the conduct of the other officers will begin after their trials conclude.

Baltimore Police Commissioner Kevin Davis said the departments will determine whether the officers broke department rules, and he will decide whether to fire or otherwise discipline them. He said he asked the outside agencies to conduct the reviews because of the public concern over the high-profile case.

"I know how important it is to the community to have faith and trust in the internal disciplinary system of the police department," Davis said. "To have a relationship built on trust in the community stems largely — not exclusively, but largely — on the timeliness and thoroughness of our internal investigations."

Captain Paul Starks, a Montgomery County Police spokesman, couldn't say how long the reviews will take.

"We will conduct a thorough and fair investigation by looking at all of the evidence and interviewing anyone with information," Starks said.