Baltimore candidate creates database of officers’ names

BALTIMORE – A candidate for Baltimore state’s attorney has created an online database of police officers’ names after they were removed from a public website.

The Baltimore Sun reported Saturday that Thiru Vignarajah shared the information after the Maryland Judiciary removed the names of officers and other law enforcement authorities over safety concerns. The names can no longer be found on the state’s searchable public online court database.

The change comes weeks after troubling court testimony that detailed police corruption during a federal trial for two former Baltimore police officers. Eight city officers have been convicted of racketeering charges, potentially compromising thousands of cases.

Vignarajah and others say removal of the data makes information about officers less transparent. Vignarajah said “this is a time when the community needs more, not less.”

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Information from: The Baltimore Sun, http://www.baltimoresun.com