Baltimore mayor orders police body cameras, requests DOJ investigation

BALTIMORE, May 6 (UPI) -- Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake announced on Wednesday the Baltimore Police Department will be equipped with body cameras for its officers by the end of next year.

Rawlings-Blake also announced that she and the City Council president will request a full investigation into the city's police department from the Department of Justice to investigate what "systemic challenges exist in our department."

She said she discussed the request with U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch on Tuesday, who is visiting the city with a team of officials from the Justice Department.

Rawlings-Blake said complaints of police brutality have decreased and other improvements by the police department have been seen.

"We have seen results from these efforts," Rawlings-Blake said, but stated more needs to be done to improve reforms already put in place. "We have to get it right. Failure is not an option."

Rawlings-Blake announced Sunday that the 10 p.m.-to-5 a.m. curfew imposed for nearly a week has been lifted.

The curfew was imposed after riots broke out in West Baltimore on Monday in response to the death of 25-year-old Freddie Gray, who was fatally injured while in police custody.

Six Baltimore police officers charged in his death were released from jail on bond late Friday.