"WASHINGTON — Attorney General Jeff Sessions has ordered a sweeping review of federal agreements with thousands of law enforcement agencies, as lawyers for the Justice Department went to court on Monday to seek a 90-day delay in a consent decree to overhaul Baltimore’s troubled Police Department.
Mr. Sessions announced the review, which will include an examination of all federal police-related programs, in a memorandum to his department dated March 31. The examination, which reflects President Trump’s emphasis on law and order and reducing violent crime, could lead to a further retreat on consent decrees nationwide.
In the memorandum, the attorney general directed his staff to look at whether law enforcement programs adhere to principles of the Trump administration, including one declaring that “the individual misdeeds of bad actors should not impugn or undermine the legitimate and honorable work that law enforcement officers and agencies perform in keeping American communities safe.”
The request for the 90-day delay in Baltimore came just days before a hearing, scheduled for Thursday in United States District Court there, to solicit public comment on the agreement, which was reached in principle by the city and the Justice Department in the waning days of the Obama administration.
Mayor Catherine Pugh said late Monday that the city would “strongly oppose any delay in moving forward.” Supporters of police reform called on Judge James K. Bredar, who is overseeing the negotiations between Baltimore and the Justice Department, to deny the request, arguing that Mr. Sessions was interfering with the will of the city."
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