Baltimore Board Approves $395,000 Settlement Over 2021 Police Search, Use of Force

Baltimore City's Board of Estimates approved a $395,000 settlement on February 19, 2026 to resolve a federal civil-rights lawsuit stemming from a police response on March 30, 2021. The approval authorizes the city to pay the sum to end the litigation.

The case is captioned Steven Bow v. Aaron Dale, et al., and the complaint alleged an unlawful search and excessive force during the March 30, 2021 incident. The filing named Aaron Dale among the defendants and proceeded in federal court as a civil-rights action.

Board of Estimates approval on February 19 completed the municipal authorization needed to settle the claim for $395,000. The board's vote moves the matter from active litigation toward financial resolution under the city’s settlement process.

The settlement closes a dispute that began nearly five years earlier with the March 30, 2021 police response. By resolving Steven Bow v. Aaron Dale, et al., the city will end federal civil-rights claims tied to that response without proceeding to trial.

With the February 19 approval recorded by the Board of Estimates, the city has taken the final local-step to pay $395,000 and resolve the lawsuit alleging an unlawful search and use of force from March 30, 2021. The settlement concludes this specific federal civil-rights matter named in the case caption.