BALTIMORE (AP) - Baltimore's mayor was emphatic last week: She did not want federal oversight of her police department.
"Nobody wants the Department of Justice to come in here and take over our city," Stephanie Rawlings-Blake declared as the National Guard enforced a 10 p.m. curfew.
But it was hard to find any opposition Wednesday after she changed course and asked the U.S. Justice Department to launch a broad civil rights investigation that could eventually force the city to make changes under the oversight of an outside monitor.
The Democratic mayor now says she'll accept outside intervention to rebuild public trust in a city torn by riots over the death of Freddie Gray, a black man who suffered a fatal spinal injury in police custody.
"I am determined not to allow a small handful of bad actors to tarnish the reputation of the overwhelming majority of police officers who are acting with honor and distinction," she wrote in a letter to the new U.S. attorney general, Loretta Lynch.
The mayor's announcement came the day after her closed-door meeting at City Hall with Lynch, who pledged to improve the police department and told faith and community leaders "we're here to hold your hands and provide support."
Lynch has received the mayor's request and is considering it, Justice Department spokeswoman Dena Iverson said Wednesday.
"I think that's probably a step in the right direction," Republican Gov. Larry Hogan said.
The city's police union and City Council president also welcomed the development.
A key figure who didn't immediately respond was Police Commissioner Anthony Batts, brought in from Oakland, California, by the mayor 2½ years ago to reform the department.
The mayor's request could put Batts' leadership under a microscope. A police spokesman had no immediate response to requests for the commissioner's reaction. An email and a text message were not immediately returned.
Baltimore suffered days of unrest after Gray died April 19 after a week in a coma following his arrest. Protesters threw bottles and bricks at police the night of his funeral on April 27, injuring nearly 100 officers. More than 200 people were arrested as cars and businesses burned.
Baltimore has already been participating in a voluntary Justice Department review, requested by Rawlings-Blake and Batts last fall. It would enable police to implement reforms without a court order or independent monitor.
But City Council President Jack Young said he's been warning since October that police won't change unless they're forced to.
"The police commissioner could have said, "Well, now, I don't want to do that,' and he didn't have to do it," Young said. "In my opinion, it was a toothless tiger."
The Justice Department also is investigating whether Gray's civil rights were violated, a much narrower review than what Rawlings-Blake sought Wednesday.
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