There’s an odd dynamic to the Washington Post report that Attorney General Loretta Lynch is set to “launch federal investigation of Baltimore police” using the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) office for a “pattern or practice” investigation.
Odd because, the DOJ COPS office investigation, run by Ronald L. Davis (Director of the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services), was already launched last October, 2014.

DETAILS – Yesterday the Washington Post reported:

Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch has decided to launch a federal investigation into whether the Baltimore Police Department has engaged in a “pattern or practice” of excessive force.  (link)

However, last October 20th COPS announced:

U.S. Department of Justice Announces Collaborative Reform Initiative with Baltimore Police Department
COPS OFFICE WILL ASSESS BALTIMORE POLICE POLICIES, TRAINING, AND OPERATIONS AS THEY RELATE TO USE OF FORCE AND INTERACTIONS WITH CITIZENS
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND – Today the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) announced the beginning of a review of the Baltimore Police Department’s use of force policies and practices. The scope of the work announced today will include an assessment of policies, training, and operations as they relate to use of force and interactions with citizens, taking into account national standards, best practices, current and emerging research, and community expectations.

Following the assessment, COPS will issue a report detailing the findings along with specific recommendations for improvement. COPS will assess progress made at the 6-month and 12-month marks issuing follow up reports.  (link)

That initial 6-month report would be due THIS MONTH, May 2015.

If Baltimore was already under a DOJ investigative review for the police “Department’s use of force policies and practices” since last October, then what possible reason for a “launch” (from the exact same agency – into the exact same concerns) be founded on?
Additionally, according to the Washington Post the impetus for the “new” DOJ/COPS investigation was a request recently made by Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake:

Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake on Wednesday called on the Justice Department to open a federal investigation.(link)

However, just last month the Obama administration published their first report on US-DOJ 21st Century Task Force recommendations.  Included in the task force report was a statement from Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake about the current state of Baltimore policing.
In the Task Force report [March 2015] Rawlings said this:

“Baltimore has made tremendous progress in reducing violent crime, but we still struggle to repair the breach between community and police. Four years ago, Baltimore City reached a pivotal moment in our city’s crime fight when for the first time in many years our year end homicide number was less than 200.
As I toured many communities, I expected residents to feel good about the progress being made and acknowledge that Baltimore was turning a corner in the decade’s long history of violence that had plagued our city for generations.
Instead, I heard that while residents acknowledged the significance of the homicide reductions, they were equally concerned about the tactics used by police officers in order to achieve the crime reductions we were experiencing.
Four years later, Baltimore is in a much better place with finding the right balance between being tough on crime and building bridges of trust with the community.
In 2014, Baltimore experienced a 10 percent decline in homicides, as well as a drop in every major crime category – shootings, robberies and burglaries. We have seen significant decreases in the number of excessive force complaints and lawsuits filed against police, while at the same time more residents are reaching out to law enforcement with helpful tips to take violent criminals off the streets. We have demonstrated that Baltimore can learn from its past.
Previously, Baltimore had experienced decreases in crime, yet many neighborhoods felt under siege due to high numbers of arrests. Recent statistics show us striking a better balance, and police-community relations improving as a result. This past year, we achieved both reductions in violent crime as well as reductions in the number of arrests made.”  (pdf report)

It gets even more odd when you compare her words:

In March of 2015, according to Mayor Rawlings: “Baltimore is in a much better place with finding the right balance between being tough on crime and building bridges of trust with the community” and we have “a better balance, and police-community relations improving as a result”.
Yet less than 45 days later the same Mayor says: “We all know that Baltimore continues to have a fractured relationship between the police and the community,” Rawlings-Blake (D) said when she asked the Justice Department for federal help. “I needed to look for any and all resources I could bring to my city to get this right for my community“. (link)

Go figure !