Judge to lead panel examining corrupt Baltimore police unit

BALTIMORE – A retired U.S. judge will lead a commission tasked with examining how a group of corrupt Baltimore cops were allowed to run rampant for years before federal investigators brought them down.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced Friday that retired U.S. District Judge Alexander Williams Jr. will chair the seven-member “Commission to Restore Trust in Policing.”

The legislative panel was created to examine operations and investigations of the out-of-control Gun Trace Task Force.

The unit was tasked with getting illegal guns off the streets. But a recent federal investigation showed that eight members were busy ripping off drug dealers, stealing money from citizens and defrauding their department.

Commissioners are expected to hold public hearings and issue recommendations by the close of 2019.