BALTIMORE (AP) — Prosecutors say a policeman charged in Freddie Gray's arrest committed a crime when he and two other officers detained and handcuffed him without probable cause after he ran from them in a high-crime neighborhood. The trial for Officer Edward Nero, 30, who faces assault, misconduct in office and reckless endangerment charges, is raising broad questions about alleged police misconduct and the balance between officers' authority to detain suspects in a city riddled with crime and violence, and their professional obligation not to abuse their power at a time when trust between the police and the community remains fractured from decades of problematic practices. During closing arguments, Baltimore Circuit Judge Barry Williams grilled prosecutors, asking if every officer who makes an arrest without probable cause should face criminal charges rather than simply release the suspect later or suppress whatever is found during a search of the person. [...] that being said, I think there's very little evidence in the record that what happened in the course of this detention rose to the level of criminal activity that would justify an assault charge. "When the state appeared to argue that this case would send a message to other Baltimore city police officers that arresting citizens without justification will result in prosecution of the officers, Judge Williams made it clear that he was judging this case solely on the facts of this case and the law that applies, and won't be motivated by the states' public policy desires or interests," he said.
Comment on Officer trial raises questions about policing in Baltimore
By JULIET LINDERMAN, Associated Press, San Francisco Chronicle
Mon, 05/23/2016 - 3:10pm
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