Suspects in Baltimore who don't receive a court hearing within 24 hours of being arrested will continue to be released from the Central Booking and Intake Center, according to an agreement reached yesterday by public defenders and state officials.
The agreement extends for six months a temporary court order in effect since late last month. Under the judge's order, if suspects are detained too long, state officials can be found in contempt of court.
Last month, public defenders started filing motions each day requesting the release of suspects detained more than 24 hours without a hearing - despite a state law requiring that suspects be freed or see a court commissioner within one day.
With the order extended, daily court hearings will not be necessary because the releases are to be automatic.
Through the weekend, 27 suspects had been released since the court order went into effect April 25, state public safety officials said yesterday. The extension, public defenders said, was crafted to allow public safety officials, police, prosecutors and others time to continue making improvements to the criminal justice system.
"There have been some steps," said Natalie Finegar, the chief attorney at Central Booking for the Office of the Public Defender. "It's going to take a while for the longer-term solutions to be put in place."
As law enforcement officials search for fixes, the City Council pressed for answers last night.
Members introduced a resolution demanding a hearing to find out what can be done to alleviate the congestion at Central Booking.
Councilmen Bernard C. "Jack" Young wants city State's Attorney Patricia C. Jessamy and Police Commissioner Leonard D. Hamm to answer questions.
Councilman Kenneth N. Harris Sr. is requesting that the state consider a strategy of booking suspects in the city's police district stations, as was done before the construction of Central Booking.
Councilman James B. Kraft wants officials to explain to the council long-term solutions to the overcrowding.
For several months leading up to the recent court hearings, all sides blamed the others for letting people arrested on minor charges linger behind bars for hours and days without seeing a court commissioner or even being formally charged.
Corrections officials said the facility wasn't built to handle the vast number of people being arrested by the city police. Prosecutors made numerous complaints about the practices of police and corrections officials. Police said the inefficient assembly-line process often leaves them waiting with newly arrested suspects for hours outside Central Booking.
Until the recent hearings, some suspects were being held as long as four days without being formally charged. At times, the downtown facility had nearly 100 people who were being unlawfully held.
The order extended yesterday allows public safety officials to file with the courts for an exception, which would allow them to detain a suspect for more than 24 hours if they believe he or she should not be released. Also, police can rearrest released suspects.
As the order continues, leaders of the city's criminal justice system are weighing several proposals to help reduce gridlock at Central Booking.
Proposals include fixing outdated technology at the state-run facility, adding a supervisor to oversee the booking process and revamping the process so that warrant checks on suspects can be completed sooner.
Also, police have said they could reduce the number of people arrested on minor charges and taken to Central Booking if they gained access to the state's fingerprint database.
People who could receive citations for minor offenses such as loitering and possessing an open container of alcohol are arrested if they don't have identification. Police said that if they aren't sure of an offender's identity, they can't issue a citation.
With access to the fingerprint identification system, police have said, they could take suspects to the district station, verify their identity and issue citations.
Law enforcement officials are scheduled to meet again Monday.
Sun staff writer Doug Donovan contributed to this article.