Baltimore to pay $6M in latest police misconduct settlement

BALTIMORE (AP) – Baltimore leaders on Wednesday agreed to pay the family of a driver who was killed in a 2010 police chase involving Gun Trace Task Force officers a $6 million settlement. Dollars to pay — the city’s most recent payout, which stemmed from flagrant misconduct by the renegade law enforcement unit.

Baltimore has now spent $22.2 million to solve nearly 40 cases involving the Gun Trace Task Force, officials said during a public meeting of the city’s spending committee on Wednesday morning. At least five other cases are pending at various stages of the proceedings.

The task force was formed to take illegal guns off the streets, but instead members robbed drug dealers, hurled narcotics and firearms at innocent people, and randomly assaulted civilians. More than a dozen officers were convicted in the scandal since 2017. Hundreds of cases which depended on her testimony were later dropped.

Since then, city leaders have made significant efforts to reform the Baltimore Police Department, which remains subject to a federal Consent Decree because Justice Department investigators found a pattern of unconstitutional and discriminatory police practices, particularly toward black residents.

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, who took office in 2020, said the rising cost of settlements showed the importance of continuing to pursue robust reforms to prevent future wrongdoing. He said anyone skeptical about police reform should be reminded of the alternative.

“That’s what happened when we didn’t have the oversight, when we didn’t have the training, when we didn’t do everything we could to make sure that … these people who swore to protect and serve didn’t turn around in the biggest gang in Baltimore,” he said during Wednesday’s meeting.

Baltimore City Council President Nick Mosby said the money spent on settlements could have instead supported programs that benefit the city’s youth, homeless residents and other vulnerable groups.

A lawyer for the Baltimore Police Department recommended approval of the $6 million settlement, one of the Gun Trace Task Force’s largest awards to date. It resolves a 2018 federal lawsuit filed by Shirley Johnson after her father Elbert Davis Sr. was killed and her mother seriously injured during the 2010 police chase.

Johnson said her family was relieved at the settlement after years of fighting for justice. She said the whole process was surreal – starting with the initial reports of the crash covering up the egregious details of police misconduct that later came to light. With each new detail, she said, the family is forced to relive painful memories in their search for the truth.

“They fed us this lie for over seven years. That’s how long it took us to figure out what really happened to our parents,” Johnson told The Associated Press. “It’s crazy to think that Baltimore City cops, who are meant to protect and serve, have been out there committing all sorts of crimes … and they’ve been covering it up for so long.”

Her lawyers said on Wednesday that the settlement was long overdue.

“With this settlement, the city has finally accepted responsibility for its role in this terrible tragedy,” said attorney Judson Lipowitz.

Davis and his lifelong partner Phosa Cain were both in their 80s at the time of the crash. They had just left their daughter’s home after a visit and were driving through West Baltimore when their vehicle was struck by two men fleeing police. Cain survived the injuries she sustained in the accident but has since died.

The fleeing men were Umar Burley and Brent Matthews, who encountered task force members during an illegal traffic stop that resulted in a high-speed chase. The disgraced officers initially claimed they witnessed an alleged drug transaction involving Burley and Matthews. Officers found no narcotics during a search of their vehicle, so an officer planted heroin in the car and both men were arrested, according to court records.

Burley – who drove during the chase and was later charged with involuntary manslaughter – spent seven years in prison while Matthews served more than two. Their convictions were overturned in 2017 after officers cooperating with federal investigators admitted the drugs were planted.

In 2020, city officials approved an $8 million settlement for Burley and Matthews, including $1.8 million for Davis’ estate.

Wayne Jenkins, who led the Gun Trace Task Force, was sentenced to 25 years in prison after pleading guilty to charges including racketeering, robbery and falsifying records. He admitted knowing about the implanted drugs.

During a 2018 sentencing hearing, Jenkins apologized directly to Johnson and her family: “With all my heart, I wish I could take that day back and not have stopped that vehicle,” he said.

Johnson said she would have liked a direct apology from the Baltimore leadership.

“But at least they acknowledged what our family was going through,” she said. “I feel like a load has been lifted from my shoulders. We can try to put our lives back in order.”

Settlements were imposed following numerous high-profile cases of police misconduct in recent years are on the rise nationwide.

Last year, when the city of Minneapolis awarded George Floyd’s family $27 million, her attorney called it the largest civil settlement before a court case of all time. In 2020, amid months of nationwide racial justice protests, Louisville leaders agreed to pay Breonna Taylor ‘s family $12 million after police killed her while executing a warrant.

A few years earlier, Freddie Gray ‘s family received $5.9 million from the city of Baltimore after he died from a spinal injury sustained while in police custody, sparking widespread protests.

Johnson’s attorneys said the Davis family case stands out because the victims were “innocent bystanders” who didn’t even interact with police when the accident happened.

“This is truly a landmark settlement,” said attorney John Solter Jr. “We believe it is fully justified.”