The Justice Department and officials from Ferguson, Missouri, have reached a tentative agreement on reforms in the police department and court system, according to a document released Wednesday by the city.
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The consent decree, announced Wednesday, requires new training for police officers, refocusing of municipal court practices and improved record-keeping.
Under the agreement, all patrol officers, supervisors and jail workers will be required to wear body cameras and microphones and cameras will be installed inside police squad cars. Additionally, the city also agreed to reform its municipal code, including re-evaluating the appropriate penalties for violations.
The agreement calls for the city’s police department to review its use-of-force and training policies under the supervision of an appointed, independent monitor.
Since 2014, the city had been under federal scrutiny for the shooting of Michael Brown, who was black and unarmed, by a white police officer Darren Wilson, as reported by the Chicago Tribune. Three public hearings have been scheduled ahead of the February 9 Council vote.
Vanita Gupta, principal deputy assistant attorney general for the Justice Department’s Office of Civil Rights, said “the entire Ferguson community has reason to be proud” about the proposal.
Another concern in many cities is the price tag associated with reform, which can cost millions of dollars and can be a particular burden for small towns like Ferguson.
The recommendations are meant to correct problems identified in a contemptuous Justice Department report previous year.
The recommended overhaul follows seven months of negotiations and likely averts a civil rights lawsuit that federal officials have the option to bring against departments that resist changing their policing practices.
The investigation revealed the priorities of city officials appeared to be maximizing revenue flows rather than operating in the public’s best interests, even going so far as to urge police to hand out more tickets and maximize the number of tickets issued during a traffic stop. Investigators found that officers stopped and arrested people without cause and used excessive force nearly exclusively against African-Americans.
The 131-page agreement with the Justice Department starts, saying “the ability of a police department to protect the community it serves is only as strong as the relationship it has with that community”.
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Require police to not discriminate on the basis of race or other protected characteristics in making stops, searches and arrests.
