The Sun recently reported that a defense motion in the Freddie Gray case argued "the state is apparently making the unimaginable argument that the police officers are not allowed to use handcuffs to protect their safety" ("Judge orders Mosby to respond to defense motions in Freddie Gray case by June 26," June 5).
This is nonsense. The state has made no such claim: It has said only that police officers are not allowed to kill suspects and that they must have probable cause to detain people they suspect of committing a crime.
If the defense attorneys for the six officers charged in the death of Mr. Gray continue to talk such claptrap they will risk seriously undermining their clients' chances at trial, where jurors are apt to infer that people who offer only lame arguments have no good ones to offer.
Incidentally, Western District Commander Osborne Robinson's email to his subordinates reportedly asked them to "conduct a daily narcotics initiative addressing North and Mount St. Your units need to utilize the cameras, activate/develop informants, conduct covert, etc."
The directive says nothing about targeting and pursuing people who are minding their own business. To the contrary, developing informants requires improving relations with members of the community, not alienating them.
If officers and shift commanders do not understand that, it is likely that the entire department needs to be thoroughly retrained.
Katharine W. Rylaarsdam, Baltimore