Baltimore police have changed their general orders to prevent male officers from being alone with female witnesses or suspects in the wake of two rape allegations against officers this year, police officials told the Baltimore City Council?s Public Safety Subcommittee Tuesday.
Police must now have two sworn officers present in an interrogation room whenever they are questioning someone of the opposite sex, said James Green, the police department?s director of Special Programs.
“We do want to assure that when a custodial suspect is in our custody that the constitutional rights are preserved,” Green said.
Police are also investigating other changes to their operations, including the use of video cameras in interrogation rooms after Baltimore City Council President Sheila Dixon submitted a resolution calling for the police to analyze using the devices.
A group of youth activists, led by Hassan Allen-Giordano, has recently called for changes to police operations, including using video cameras in all interrogation rooms at all times.
Members of Allen-Giordano?s group, called Young Leaders 4 Baltimore, said they are motivated by this summer?s incident in which a 40-year-old officer was accused of engaging in sexual acts with a 16-year-old suspect during an interview.
Cameras would also help increase trust between the police and the public, said Ezekiel Jackson, a Young Leaders 4 Baltimore activist.
“There are a lot of people who feel police officers are not looking out for them,” he said.
But police officials said they will need time, money and proper training to use cameras in interrogation rooms.
“You can?t just install a camera and microphone in a room and expect it to work,” said Jordan Watts Jr., an assistant solicitor of legal affairsfor the police department.
Baltimore City Council Member James Kraft, the chairman of the subcommittee, said he believed requiring police to videotape every custodial interview would be “impossible” because some interviews occur in cars and other areas outside of interrogation rooms.
