Baltimore police "playing with fire" over severe shortage of officers, judge warns

    BALTIMORE, Maryland (WJZ) -- Baltimore police continue to lose officers despite major incentives to recruit and retain them, and that is the top concern of the judge overseeing reforms in the department.

Judge James Bredar warned if the shortages are not fixed, they could keep the city under a federal consent decree for years to come.

"Believe me, if there was a quick fix solution we'd have already done it," Baltimore Police Commissioner Richard Worley said.

The department has 1,981 officers, far short of the 2,600 needed to be fully staffed.

75 new officers have been hired so far this year while 86 have left.

Judge Bredar told Worley, "You're playing with fire."

"It's downright dangerous to have officers working overtime on every single shift," Judge Bredar added.

Recruiting incentives

The city has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on recruiting incentives, including education, housing assistance and signing bonuses.

"I don't know that you can even throw enough money at it," Worley said. "This is a career, so if you're coming here for the money, you're probably coming for the wrong reasons. You come to policing because you want to make a change and you want to help the community."

At the hearing, Judge Bredar asked, "Where does it reach a tipping point when you have to work so much overtime as a patrol officer, it's simply too much?" Adding "Nobody has an excuse on this."

He added the federal government needs to do more to help stem the severe shortage impacting police departments nationwide.

Bredar is also concerned about police misconduct investigations not being completed on time and citizens not receiving a timely response to their complaints.

BPD successes

There are many bright spots.

The judge praised officer training. And the city is compliant with how it transports those in custody, a major concern after the death of Freddie Gray.

The court also praised traffic enforcement initiatives that are using data to target dangerous streets and intersections.

"It's been a huge success because we were headed to unbelievable numbers: 16 fatal crashes with 18 victims in the first three months," Worley told WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren.

Homicides, shootings down

There have been double-digit decreases in shootings and homicides.

As of Thursday morning, there had been 120 homicides in Baltimore City compared to 170 at this time last year.

Non-fatal shootings declined to 253 from 416.

Bredar noted, "Constitutional policing does not mean lax policing."

"We're one of the departments showing we can reform and reduce crime at the same time," Worley said.

Children with guns

Commissioner Worley also talked about juvenile crime, including a 12-year-old found with a loaded gun in Southwest Baltimore Wednesday night. The weapon had been stolen out of South Carolina.

The child was released to his father.

"That's the third 12-year-old who I believe we've had to take into custody for either a handgun or a carjacking—we've had to take them home over the last week and a half," Worley said.

BPD is seizing an average of seven guns a day.

The judge also raised concerns about a lack of patrol cars that has forced some officers to double up.

"The department has made great progress," Judge Bredar said. "Now, you have to finish your work."

The Baltimore Police Department needs to prove they are making progress on their consent decree at a federal court hearing Thursday. The decree, put in place in 2017, mandates a range of improvements and reforms for the department.

The court-enforced improvement plan was put in place in the wake of the 2015 death of Freddie Gray. An investigation found that the police department had a pattern of unconstitutional practices that affected the Black community.

There are now quarterly hearings to keep tabs on the department and monitor their progress.

Back in January, WJZ told you that the Baltimore Police Department was found compliant with two provisions: transportation of people in custody and officer assistance and support. The department said they upgraded technology in transport vehicles, improved their auditing and record keeping process and their response to cases of medical distress.

At that time, Police Commissioner Richard Worley said 85% of the decree provisions were either in "initial compliance" or "on its path."

The January hearing also identified some areas the department was lagging in, such as data analysis on police stops and searches.

Worley admitted that community policing was still an issue that needed focus.

He said hopes for the department to meet full compliance within the next three years.

There are two more court hearings currently scheduled. One is set for next month and another is scheduled for January 2025.