Baltimore, Maryland

As Maier waited at a red light near Fayette and Caroline streets, a bullet fired by police entered her car’s windshield. Shrapnel, glass, and other debris struck Maier. Police had been pursuing Tyrone Banks, a man suspected of a prior attack on officers, when they fired dozens of shots at his vehicle and ultimately killed him. Maier suffered injuries to her neck, chest, and hand, including shattered nerves in her index finger. In 2022, she filed a gross negligence lawsuit against Sgt. Paul Sinchak and twelve other officers. Citing the risks of ongoing litigation, City officials recommended the settlement.

The City agreed to pay $287,500 each to Lee Dotson and Charles Kuniken, both bystanders who were wrongfully arrested during separate incidents in 2019. Newberg arrested Dotson after falsely claiming that Dotson was interfering with another arrest. However, body camera footage contradicted Newberg’s account and showed Dotson calmly leaving the scene before Newberg pursued and grabbed him. This incident prompted a broader investigation into Newberg’s pattern of misconduct. Also in 2019, Kuniken asked officers whether a man they were arresting needed medical attention, which led Newberg to order his arrest. Newberg, who was initially indicted on thirty-two counts including assault and false imprisonment, resigned after pleading guilty to a lesser charge.

The settlement resolved a 2018 federal lawsuit filed by Shirley Johnson after her father, Elbert Davis Sr., was killed and her mother, Phosa Cain, was seriously injured when their vehicle was struck by two men fleeing the police. The high-speed police chase occurred after officers claimed that they witnessed a suspected drug transaction involving Umar Burley and Brent Matthews. However, police later admitted that they had planted heroin inside the car, and Burley and Matthews had their convictions vacated in 2017 after serving multiple years in prison. As of March 2023, Baltimore had paid a total of $22.2 million to settle nearly forty cases involving the GTTF.

Evans filed the suit in March 2022, alleging that Hersl and other officers with the GTTF planted crack cocaine on him, applied for warrants based on false allegations, and illegally arrested him following a 2012 search. Evans originally sought $1.5 million in damages in a case that was dismissed in 2020. The parties agreed to the 2022 settlement to avoid the expense and uncertainty of prolonged litigation. Hersl, one of eight GTTF members indicted on charges including racketeering, robbery, extortion, and overtime fraud, was sentenced to eighteen years in prison. As of June 2022, the City of Baltimore had paid over $14 million to settle lawsuits related to GTTF misconduct.

Bryant was convicted of murdering Toni Bullock, a sixteen-year-old girl, in 1998 and spent seventeen years incarcerated for a crime he did not commit. He was later exonerated through the use of DNA evidence in 2016, but he passed away within a year of his release from prison. His family later filed a lawsuit against the Baltimore Police Department, Ritz, and Verger, arguing that they did not disclose exculpatory evidence and destroyed evidence that would have proved Bryant’s innocence. 

In 2012, Baltimore’s Gun Trace Task Force (GTTF) planted drugs on and subsequently arrested Kyle Knox and Shaune Berry. Both served two years in jail before charges were dismissed. The corrupt task force often targeted people by planting evidence, and many of those targeted served time after being convicted. Prior to this $195,000 settlement, Baltimore had already spent more than $13 million compensating victims of GTTF as of January 2022. 

Officer Michael O’Sullivan arrested Smith due to his proximity to a gun on the ground. Smith was subsequently charged with illegal possession of a handgun and other firearm offenses. O’Sullivan wrote a false statement saying that he saw Smith throw the gun before fleeing the scene. O’Sullivan repeated this testimony at trial, causing Smith to be convicted.  O’Sullivan was later convicted of perjury, sentenced to 15 months in prison, and then eventually resigned from the police department on December 1, 2020. Smith will receive $100,000 from the city.

Umar Burley and Brent Matthews, the recipients of the largest settlement payment, served time in prison after an illegal car chase conducted by Baltimore Police. The chase resulted in the death of an 86-year-old man. Two separate but related lawsuits amounted to nearly $600,000 in settlement payments. Several officers on the GTTF were convicted of federal crimes, such as racketeering for robbing city residents.

Baltimore County announced in November 2020 that it will refrain from using written examinations for police recruitment purposes. A 2019 lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) alleged that the County was engaging in unintentional employment discrimination against African Americans applicants.

The lawsuit asserted the African American applicants were discriminated against in the hiring of entry-level police officer and cadet positions by heavily weighing examination scores in hiring decisions. DOJ officials argued that hiring examinations were not job-related and disproportionately excluded African Americans.

Officer Garcia’s lawsuit alleged that the Baltimore Police Department has a pattern of discrimination against Hispanic men. His suit was filed separately but is related to another settlement granted to Officer Jasmin Rowlett.

Rowlett and fellow Officer Luis Garcia were accused of fraternization by their colleagues, who also spread rumors about a relationship between the two. Rowlett also alleged that her supervisor made suggestive comments towards her.

In 2015, The Wall Street Journal released an analysis of settlement totals from instances of police misconduct among the ten largest local police departments in the nation. Many of the cases involved in the analysis involved alleged beatings, shootings, and wrongful imprisonment. The analysis determined that, between 2010 and 2014, the City of Baltimore spent $12 million on police misconduct cases. A separate analysis conducted by Baltimore Brew concluded that Baltimore taxpayers paid $24.5 million for police misconduct settlements between fiscal years 2015 and 2019.