( CNN ) Job one for newly appointed Attorney General Loretta Lynch is to create a muscular federal response to months of national unrest over controversial police killings like that of Freddie Gray , 25 . Gray 's death last week -- from a spinal cord injury he suffered while in police custody -- has touched off days of protests and rioting in Baltimore . Lynch 's job wo n't be easy : As the nation 's top law enforcement officer , she takes the reins of a Justice Department that has been walking a fine line between nudging local police departments in the direction of better community relations , and threatening legal action against departments where discrimination or brutality are out of control . But as events in Baltimore demonstrate , too many local departments are n't getting the message . Lynch will need to put down the carrots , pick up the stick and make clear that the Justice Department intends to crack down on police abuse by using one of its most potent weapons : the power to withhold federal funds from local departments . More about that in a moment . The first order of business will be to re-establish order in Baltimore , where the National Guard has been mobilized and a state of emergency declared . `` In the days ahead , I intend to work with leaders throughout Baltimore to ensure that we can protect the security and civil rights of all residents , '' Lynch said within hours of being sworn in on Monday . `` And I will bring the full resources of the Department of Justice to bear in protecting those under threat , investigating wrongdoing and securing an end to violence . '' A key part of that vow -- `` investigating wrongdoing '' -- must include a close look at the Baltimore Police Department , which has been the subject of bitter complaints of brutality . According to a major investigation by The Baltimore Sun published last fall , the city has paid out $ 5.7 million in court judgments or settlements to more than 100 people since 2011 in connection with allegations of brutality and/or violations of civil rights . `` Officers have battered dozens of residents who suffered broken bones -- jaws , noses , arms , legs , ankles -- head trauma , organ failure , and even death , coming during questionable arrests . Some residents were beaten while handcuffed ; others were thrown to the pavement , '' the Sun expose says . `` And in almost every case , prosecutors or judges dismissed the charges against the victims -- if charges were filed at all . '' That kind of behavior helped set the stage for the riots and looting we now see . Lynch has already launched a probe of the death of Freddie Gray , and the Justice Department is also investigating the recent videotaped police killing of Walter Scott in North Charleston , South Carolina , where an officer has been arrested and charged with murder . As attorney general , Lynch has several tools with which to guide local law enforcement toward better behavior . A Justice Department program called Community Oriented Policing Services , launched in 2011 , helps local departments implement best practices . The COPS program 's effectiveness will surely come under question , since Baltimore was one of the eight departments participating in the voluntary program . Lynch can also apply the tougher approach of suing local departments and securing court-ordered reforms , a power conferred by the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 . The provision was a result of the 1991 videotaped police beating of Rodney King by Los Angeles cops and the riot that ensued when the officers were acquitted . The Obama administration has sued local departments 15 times -- more than either the Clinton or Bush administrations -- and has opened 11 more investigations of departments including those in Cleveland , Miami , and Ferguson , Missouri . But even those tough remedies may not be working , according to the Marshall Project , a nonprofit news organization that focuses on criminal justice issues . `` Even where local leaders have embraced Washington 's prescriptions , Justice Department officials have increasingly found themselves returning to grapple a second time with problems they thought they had fixed , '' writes reporter Simone Weichselbaum , noting that `` recurring problems have emerged in police departments in Miami , New Orleans and New Jersey , all of which had promised to carry out major changes in response to Justice Department investigations that turned up evidence of discriminatory policing . '' That leaves Lynch with a final , even tougher weapon : the power , under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 , to deny federal law enforcement dollars to departments that engage in discriminatory practices . Lynch 's predecessor as attorney general , Eric Holder , generally refrained from yanking funds , although in 2013 he did deny drug forfeiture money to the sheriff 's office in Alamance County , North Carolina , claiming the department was unlawfully targeting Latinos for traffic stops . The sheriff of Alamance County sued the Justice Department and the case remains unresolved -- but it underscores the fact that Lynch has the power to press local departments , legally and financially , to curb local abuses . She should invoke the power where necessary and calm cities like Baltimore as the nation heads into what could be a long , hot summer of unrest .
Errol Louis : « Le plus grand désastre de l'histoire He says Baltimore case shows too many local departments not getting message . Lynch will have to apply range of tough measures to fix this , Louis says .