One month after the city council of Ferguson, Missouri, balked at a series of Justice Department-ordered police reforms, council members will return to their chambers Tuesday to possibly reconsider — and contemplate the grim possibility of federal legal action.
The council has described the seven reforms — which include the use of body cameras and the recruitment of a more diverse police force — as too costly, and on Feb. 9, the council approved an amended version of the Justice Department’s consent decree.
The reforms came after the August 2014 killing of Michael Brown by Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson. Though a subsequent federal investigation cleared Wilson, officials found widespread misconduct, abuse and discriminatory practices among Ferguson police officers and courts.
But Department of Justice officials criticized the city council’s move last month, saying its members were attempting to “unilaterally amend a negotiated agreement.”
“Their vote to do so creates an unnecessary delay in the essential work to bring constitutional policing to the city, and marks an unfortunate outcome for concerned community members and Ferguson police officers,” Deputy Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta said.
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3 comments:
They are just doing what Obama has and still doing to our laws and the constitution. Just proving the "Double Standards" do as I say not as I do.
Body cameras, definitely. They do more than just record events, they calm those being recorded and remind officers that every encounter is unique, with a unique response.
Feds don't negotiate; they serve up what they want and expect signature and compliance without a murmur. Just like they did with the 'bury.
Apparently Ferguson council didn't like portions of what they were being told to swallow and rewrote some to be more palatable and workable. IIRC after the Brown incident the town now has more balance on its Council, and the Council is the governing body.
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