Baltimore Police announced command staff changes Friday afternoon, including a promotion to captain for Alicia White, whose name became known around the country after the death of Freddie Gray.

Formerly a lieutenant, White will serve as captain of the department’s Performance Standards Section, according to a police news release. The section conducts audits and inspections to ensure compliance with department policy. In the news release, Police Commissioner Michael Harrison did not comment on White individually.

“The Baltimore Police Department is continuing its efforts to promote officers and put in place new leaders with the department to move our agency forward,” he said. “These promotions and command changes represent the next generation of leaders within the department.”

A police spokeswoman said White was not available Friday for questions.

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A native of West Baltimore, White was among the six officers charged after the death of Freddie Gray in 2015. The 25-year-old West Baltimore man suffered a fractured neck in the back of a police wagon and died of his injuries.

Prosecutors dropped manslaughter and other charges against White after three of the officers went to trial and were acquitted by a judge. None were convicted in Gray’s death.

Former Baltimore Police Commissioner Kevin Davis then dismissed all administrative charges against White. She was the first officer to speak out after the case, telling The Baltimore Sun in November 2016 that she believed she had followed procedure.

“I still believe that, when I went to work that day, I did everything that I was trained to do. Unfortunately, that day someone lost their life. But I feel like everything I was trained to do, I did.”

The U.S. Department of Justice investigated Gray’s death and declined to bring charges against the officers. According to federal authorities, White arrived to the scene to investigate a complaint about a fight made earlier that day by an anonymous caller.

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“According to a statement later made by Sergeant White, she looked into the wagon, and while she could not see Gray’s face, she saw him kneeling on the wagon floor, facing away from her, and leaning over the bench with his head down. White attempted to question Gray, believing that he might know something about the complaint she was investigating. He gave no verbal response, but made an audible noise. White interpreted Gray’s silence as an indication that he did not want to cooperate with the police,” federal authorities wrote of their investigation.

They wrote that Officer William Porter told White during a stop that Gray wanted a medic. She told Porter to follow the wagon back to the Western District police station to drop off another arrestee, then escort Gray to the hospital.

“Regardless of whether Sergeant White or Officer Porter acted negligently by not calling a medic prior to Stop 6, it would be impossible to prove that either deliberately ignored Gray’s needs,” federal authorities wrote.

Defense attorney Ivan Bates, who won last month’s Democratic primary election to become the next Baltimore State’s Attorney, represented White in her criminal case.

“Alicia is a hard-working and compassionate officer,” Bates said in a statement. “From her days as a community relations officer, where she started ‘Coffee with a Cop,’ to her work in crafting new-era policies and procedures for BPD, her promotion reminds everyone where determination can lead you.”

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The law firm of William H. “Billy” Murphy Jr. negotiated a $6.4 million settlement with the city over Gray’s death.

tim.prudente@thebaltimorebanner.com

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