The City Council in Ferguson, Missouri, says it will approve an agreement between the city and the U.S. Department of Justice only if some changes are made.
The council’s unanimous 6-0 vote Tuesday sent a consent decree that outlines police and justice reforms back to the Justice Department with seven proposed amendments, city spokesman Jeff Small said. The vote authorized the agreement, if the changes are made.
The amendments to the agreement that city officials say must be met for it to go into effect include:
• That it contains no mandate for the payment of additional salary to police or other city employees.
• That it contains no mandate for staffing at the city’s jail.
• That the deadlines set forth are extended.
• That the terms do not apply to other agencies that take over services currently provided by the city.
• That a provision for local preference in contractors and consultants is included.
• That goals for minority and women participation in consulting, oversight and third-party services are included.
• That monitoring fee caps are changed to $1 million over the first five years and no more than $250,000 in any single year.
The original proposed agreement, negotiated last month, would require the city to hire additional senior staff dedicated to the implementation of the deal and in areas such as crisis intervention and community-police relations. Other costs to the city of Ferguson would include the creation of an electronic complaint tracking system, an early intervention system and training throughout various levels of the police department.
The vote “creates an unnecessary delay in the essential work to bring constitutional policing to the city,” the Department of Justice said in a statement. It “marks an unfortunate outcome for concerned community members and Ferguson police officers,” it said.
“The Department of Justice must accept the seven amendments in order for the settlement agreement to be valid,” the city said in a statement released Tuesday night.
“We’re not trying to take away any safeguards. We’re not trying anything substantive out of the decree,” Mayor James Knowles told CNN affiliate KMOV.
Justice Department found pattern of discrimination
Last March, the Justice Department determined the Ferguson Police Department had demonstrated a “pattern and practice” of discrimination against African-Americans, targeting them disproportionately for traffic stops, use of force and jail sentences.
The report said some Ferguson police officers saw residents as “sources of revenue,” leading to practices that federal investigators said disproportionately targeted black residents.
The 102-page report also found evidence of racist jokes sent by some Ferguson police officers and court officials.
The Justice Department investigation came in the wake of the August 2014 shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown by police Officer Darren Wilson. Brown was black, and Wilson is white.
The department made 26 recommendations, including:
• Ferguson police provide training to ensure officers aren’t using bias in policing.
• Officers practice community policing by getting out of cars and getting to know communities.
• Focus police stops, searches and ticketing on protecting the public, as opposed to fundraising for the city.
Also in March, the Justice Department declined to bring civil rights charges against Wilson in the death of Brown, who was not armed. Brown’s death prompted days of protests and riots in Ferguson and a national conversation about the role of race in police interactions with citizens.
Justice Department investigators concluded Brown was moving toward the officer when Wilson fired. A grand jury also declined to indict Wilson, who left the force in November 2014.