[5][6] The department was founded in its current form (with uniforms and firearms) in 1853 by the Maryland state legislature "to provide for a better security for life and property in the City of Baltimore".

[citation needed] In 1857 the police were reorganized by Mayor Thomas Swann and new men were recruited; many came from Know Nothing gangs in the city and maintained loyalties to former leaders.

[7] The first BPD officer to die in the line of duty was Sergeant William Jourdan, who was shot and killed by an unknown gunman during the first city council elections on October 14, 1857.

[11] In 1962, Patrolman Henry Smith Jr. was the first African American officer to die in the line of duty; he was shot breaking up a dice game on North Milton Avenue.

[13] During the Civil Rights Movement, trust between the department and the predominantly black city became increasingly strained, as African Americans pressed for fair treatment and social justice.

Some positive change was implemented under Commissioner Donald Pomerleau, appointed in 1966 after consulting for the International Association of Chiefs of Police in the city for two years and writing a damning report on the department.

Pomerleau oversaw many reforms, including the racial integration of the department by 1966, also partly a result of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and efforts by local black activists.

In one scene, a person accuses a group of dealers in West Baltimore of being protected by William King and Antonio Murray, a duo of BPD officers.

District Judge James K. Bredar approved the decree in early April 2017, with commitment from Mayor Catherine Pugh and Police Commissioner Kevin Davis to make the changes proposed.

[34][35] On May 10, 2018, newly appointed Police Commissioner Darryl De Sousa was charged in U.S. District Court with three misdemeanor counts of failing to file federal taxes for 2013, 2014 and 2015.

[36] Mayor Catherine Pugh initially expressed support for De Sousa, but a day later she suspended him with pay pending the resolution of the charges against him.

The rank of Major is assigned to those who develop, implement, coordinate, and ultimately supervise the day-to-day activities of the department in notable areas of prominence (Special Operations, Homicide/Shootings, Communications, etc.

In 2000, Edward T. Norris became commissioner and lifted the ban on the espantoon to raise staff morale and instill a more aggressive approach to policing, although he did not make its use mandatory.

BPD has experienced negative publicity in recent years due to several high-profile corruption and brutality allegations, including the 2005 arrest of Officers William A.

The suit, which was filed in 2006, and amended in 2007, was brought on behalf of thirteen individual plaintiffs and the Maryland State Conference and Baltimore City Branch of the NAACP.

[53] In 2016, the United States Justice Department issued a 163-page report which "condemned many long-standing discriminatory enforcement practices by Baltimore police that allowed for illegal searches, arrests and stops of African Americans for minor offenses."

The program had private funding from John D. Arnold, and was contracted to Persistent Surveillance Systems Inc.[55] Attorney Susan Simpson, working with the Undisclosed podcast, investigated the 2001 murder conviction of Adnan Syed for the 1999 killing of Hae Min Lee.

[65] Delegate Robinson had a long history of challenging wiretapping and search warrants, as he believed the practice unconstitutional, against Federal law and a violation of the natural rights of the citizen.

Robinson also cited the Green Spring Avenue assault by a police officer of a 15-year-old boy, countless shootings of unarmed auto-thieves, and illegal raids on properly licensed establishments.

[74] BPD officer Salvatore Rivieri came to national attention in February 2008, following the releases of two videos depicting separate incidents in which he verbally, and in one case, physically, brutalized citizens.

[78] The artist, Billy Friebele, was making a film depicting the reactions of passersby to a small box he was moving around a sidewalk with a remote-controlled car hidden underneath.

In April 2008, in the wake of the incidents, BPD replaced the sergeant and lieutenant commanding the 12 officers patrolling the Inner Harbor area, from the edge of Federal Hill to the Fallsway, near Pier 5.

Sterling Clifford, a police department spokesman, said: "Given the extreme nature of that incident, we thought it was important for the officers to brush up on their interpersonal skills.

"[79] Eric Bush’s mother filed a lawsuit against Rivieri in April 2008, two months after the video circulated, seeking $6 million for assault, battery, and violation of rights.

[82] Rivieri was eventually cleared of using excessive force and discourtesies by an internal police panel, but convicted of the administrative charge of failure to file a report.

[86] In May 2012, Police Commissioner Frederick Bealefeld III directed a team (including agents from the FBI) that used wiretaps and other techniques to break up a major corruption scandal centered on the Majestic Auto Body shop.

[92] In March 2014, the city of Baltimore agreed to pay $250,000 to a man arrested at the Preakness Stakes in 2010 for recording police officers with his mobile phone.

Following Gray's funeral on April 27, the unrest intensified with the looting and burning of local businesses and a CVS pharmacy, culminating with the deployment of the Maryland National Guard to Baltimore and declaration of a state of emergency by Governor Larry Hogan.

The eight officers—Daniel Hersl, Evodio Hendrix, Jemell Rayam, Marcus Taylor, Maurice Ward, Momodu Gondo, Thomas Allers and Wayne Jenkins—were accused of shaking down citizens for money and pocketing it, lying to investigators, filing false court paperwork, and making fraudulent overtime claims.

[112] The indictment was portrayed on the HBO series We Own This City, which serves as David Simon's spiritual successor to The Wire, another show that follows Baltimore police officers.