Officials in Ferguson, Mo., agree to train officers on avoiding use of force
Source: Washington Post
The city of Ferguson, Mo., has tentatively agreed to improve its policing policies and train its officers to de-escalate confrontations and avoid the use of force except where necessary, according to a proposed consent decree reached by Ferguson officials and the Justice Department.
The 131-page agreement lays out a plan by city officials to establish long-term programs that promote interactions between the police and youth, revise the city’s municipal code so it does not harm “Ferguson’s most vulnerable residents” and ensure that officers are provided the training, supervision and support they need to police effectively but also “lawfully and ethically.”
The city would also require bias-awareness training of all court staff and police personnel, including supervisors and unsworn officers, according to the plan.
The Justice Department opened a broad civil rights investigation into Ferguson in September 2014 after the fatal shooting a month before of Michael Brown, an 18-year-old African American, by a white Ferguson police officer, Darren Wilson. A grand jury that fall decided not to indict Wilson, and last year, the Justice Department announced it would not pursue federal civil rights charges against Wilson because officials said there was no evidence to disprove Wilson’s belief that he feared for his safety.
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Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/officials-in-ferguson-mo-agree-to-train-officers-on-avoiding-use-of-force/2016/01/27/6c05192e-c53b-11e5-8965-0607e0e265ce_story.html
By Sari Horwitz January 27 at 6:45 PM
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