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WASHINGTON (AP) — A Justice Department report says blacks in Ferguson are disproportionately subjected to excessive police force, baseless traffic stops, and citations for petty infractions -- like walking down the middle of the street.
The department today issued more than two dozen recommendations to improve the city's police department and court system. They include training officers to de-escalate confrontations. And the report also calls for better oversight of Ferguson's recruiting, hiring and promotion procedures.
Federal officials say city leaders in Ferguson are cooperative and open to change, and that there are already signs of improvement.
The investigation began weeks after the shooting death of unarmed black 18-year-old Michael Brown by Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson. The killing set off weeks of protests, and sparked a national dialogue about police use of force and their relations with minority communities.
As it released the recommendations today, the Justice Department also announced that it won't prosecute the former officer in the shooting death. Officials concluded that there's no evidence to disprove Wilson's testimony that he feared for his safety, and that there's no reliable evidence that Brown had his hands up when he was shot.
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183-a-11-(Neil Bruntrager (BRUHN'-tray-ger), general counsel for the St. Louis Police Officer's Association, in AP interview)-"about these things"-Neil Bruntrager, general counsel for the St. Louis Police Officer's Association, says yes there is a problem, but people need to carefully examine the report. (4 Mar 2015)
<<CUT *183 (03/04/15)££ 00:11 "about these things"
182-a-09-(Neil Bruntrager (BRUHN'-tray-ger), general counsel for the St. Louis Police Officer's Association, in AP interview)-"those numbers mean"-Neil Bruntrager, general counsel for the St. Louis Police Officer's Association, says while the report shows a high rate of blacks being stopped by police, more information is needed to truly understand them. (4 Mar 2015)
<<CUT *182 (03/04/15)££ 00:09 "those numbers mean"
143-a-14-(Anthony Gray, Brown family attorney, in interview)-"progress from there"-Brown family attorney Anthony Gray says the investigation means action has to be taken. COURTESY: KTVI TV ((mandatory on-air credit)) (4 Mar 2015)
<<CUT *143 (03/04/15)££ 00:14 "progress from there"
145-a-06-(Richard McClure, co-chairman of the Ferguson Commission, in interview)-"with our citizens"-Co-chairman of the Ferguson Commission Richard McClure says there are concrete improvements that need to be made. (4 Mar 2015)
<<CUT *145 (03/04/15)££ 00:06 "with our citizens"
APPHOTO MOCA103: A car passes a memorial for Michael Brown, who was shot and killed by Ferguson, Mo., Police Officer Darren Wilson last summer, Tuesday, March 3, 2015, in Ferguson. A Justice Department investigation found sweeping patterns of racial bias within the Ferguson police department, with officers routinely discriminating against blacks by using excessive force, issuing petty citations and making baseless traffic stops, according to law enforcement officials familiar with the report. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast) (3 Mar 2015)
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APPHOTO WX117: FILE - In this Aug. 9, 2014, file photo, a police tactical team moves in to disperse a group of protesters in Ferguson, Mo. that was sparked after Michael Brown, an unarmed black 18-year-old, was shot and killed by white police officer Darren Wilson. A Justice Department investigation has found patterns of racial bias in the Ferguson police department and at the municipal jail and court. The full report, scheduled to be publicly released as soon as March 4, says the investigation found Ferguson officers disproportionately used excessive force against blacks and too often charged them with petty offenses. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File) (13 Aug 2014)
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