Baltimore prosecutor: If you don't hold bad cops accountable it does a disservice to good cops

Baltmore State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby quickly pushed back at CNN host Don Lemon's premise in an excerpt from their interview posted online on Friday.

"It's been a tough time for you," Lemon said to begin the interview. "You are in the spotlight, under the microscope"

"I don't think it's tough," Mosby responded. "The people of Baltimore voted for me to do my job and to carry out justice, and that's what I'm going to do as the state's attorney for Baltimore city."

Mosby, who took office in January, entered the national spotlight on Friday after announcing that she would be pursuing a variety of charges against the six officers involved in the arrrest of 25-year-old Freddie Gray. Gray died a week after being taken into custody on April 12.

The officers now face charges including assault, manslaughter, misconduct in office, and second-degree murder.

While she did not get into specific details regarding her investigation, Mosby told Lemon that, "As a prosecutor, you should not bring charges if you don't believe that you have probable cause, that these individuals are responsible for the charges."

Lemon touched on the positive reaction that greeted Mosby's announcement, during which she acknowledged not only her ties to the law enforcement community -- both of her parents were police officers, as were several uncles, her grandfather and an aunt -- but residents calling for greater accountability from local police.

"Is it difficult to balance that?" he asked.

"No, I think it gives me a well-rounded perspective," Mosby said. "I come from five generations of police officers, so law enforcement is instilled. I understand the time, the commitment, the sacrifice that these police officers make, time away from their families on a day-to-day basis, risking their lives for the benefit of our communities."

But at the same time, she added, "those officers that usurped their authority, you have to be able to hold them accountable because it does a disservice to the really hardworking police officers. So for me it's about applying justice fairly and accurately to those with or without a badge."

The union representing Baltimore police called for an independent prosecutor to be placed on the case on Friday following Mosby's announcements, saying it had over her objectivity.

Watch the excerpt, as posted by CNN on Friday, below.