\u201cDuring the past seven-months, we have worked very hard to ensure that our negotiations were feasible and realistic for the citizens of Ferguson,\u201d said Ferguson Mayor James Knowles III. \u201cAlthough we did not get everything we wanted in the agreement, we certainly made sure that what was agreed upon, can be implemented in a timely and sufficient manner.\u201d
\nA negotiating team including City Council members Wesley Bell, Mark Byrne and Mayor James Knowles III, negotiated with the Department of Justice on behalf of the City.
\nBoth the Department of Justice and Ferguson officials agree to implement the following initiatives within time frames set forth in the agreement.
\nThe terms and conditions include the following:
\nCOMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT:
\nThe City will begin to host and participate in a series of small-group structured dialogues, arranged and led by a qualified neutral facilitator, between police officers and community members and groups, with an emphasis on community members and groups who previously have not had strong or positive relationships with FPD or the City.
\nREFORM OF THE FERGUSON MUNICIPAL CODE:
\nTo ensure constitutional enforcement of the Ferguson Municipal Code (\u201cCode\u201d)
\nand further promote community-oriented policing, the City agrees to revise the Code and ensure
\nthat it comports with the United States Constitution and other laws; establishes clearly defined
\nmunicipal offenses and appropriate penalties for violations; and adequately protects the public
\nhealth, safety, and welfare.
\nPOLICIES AND TRAINING:
\nTo ensure that officers have the knowledge, skills, and direction necessary to police constitutionally, effectively, and in a manner that promotes both officer and public safety,
\nthe City agrees to continue to enhance its policies and increase the quality and scope of training
\nprovided to FPD officers and other FPD employees.
\nBIAS-FREE POLICE AND COURT PRACTICES:
\nThis Agreement, in its entirety, will be implemented in a manner that ensures
\nequal protection of the law for all individuals, regardless of race, color, ethnicity, national origin,
\nreligion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or other protected characteristics.
\nVOLUNTARY CONTACTS, STOPS, SEARCHES, CITATIONS, AND ARRESTS:
\nThe City agrees to ensure that all FPD voluntary encounters, investigatory stops
\nand detentions, searches, citations, and arrests are conducted in accordance with the rights,
\nprivileges, and immunities secured or protected by the Constitution and the laws of the United
\nStates.
\nFIRST AMENDMENT PROTECTED ACTIVITY:
\nThe parties acknowledge that First Amendment protected activities serve important societal functions, including promoting transparency in government affairs, ensuring accountability of public officials, and encouraging community feedback\u2014whether critical or laudatory\u2014that ultimately reduce tension and foster a sense of openness and trust between law enforcement and the public.
\nFORCE:
\nThe agreement outlines several procedures that dictate when force may be used and for required reporting, oversight and investigation.
\nCRISIS INTERVENTION:
\nThe Police Department will implement a Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) first-responder model of police-based crisis intervention with community, health care, and advocacy partnerships to: (a) assist individuals who are in mental health crisis or who are in crisis related to the influence of alcohol or drugs (\u201cindividuals in crisis\u201d); (b) reduce the need to use significant force against
\nindividuals in crisis and improve the safety of patrol officers, individuals in crisis and their
\nfamilies, and others within the community; (c) provide the foundation necessary to promote
\ncommunity solutions to assist individuals with mental illness; and (d) reduce the need for
\nindividuals with mental illness to have further involvement with the criminal justice system.
\nSCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICER PROGRAM:
\nAdditional policies and procedures are incorporated into the Department\u2019s School Resource Officer Program.
\nBODY-WORN AND IN-CAR CAMERAS:
\nIn an effort to bring continued transparency regarding police activities; improve
\nthe effectiveness and reliability of use-of-force and misconduct investigations; enhance
\nsupervision of FPD stops, searches, and arrests; and provide material for officer training, the City
\nwill equip FPD officers with body-worn and in-car cameras, and will ensure that such devices
\nare used consistent with law and policy.
\nSUPERVISION:
\nAdditional requirements apply to supervisors within the police department to ensure that the terms of the agreement are carried out.
\nOFFICER ASSISTANCE AND SUPPORT:
\nThe City will provide certain services and assistance to police officers to ensure the officers\u2019 physical and mental well-being.
\nRECRUITMENT:
\nThe City will conduct a broader outreach in attempts to recruit a highly-qualified diverse workforce and will offer one scholarship per year for a candidate to attend the St. Louis County Police Academy.
\nPERFORMANCE EVALUATIONS AND PROMOTIONS:
\nThe City agrees to ensure its policies for performance evaluations and promotions
\nsupport and recognize officers who police effectively, lawfully, and ethically.
\nSUPPLEMENTAL RECRUIT AND IN-SERVICE TRAINING:
\nTo ensure that officers have the knowledge and skills to police constitutionally
\nand carry out the requirements of this Agreement, the City agrees to provide and require training which
\nfar exceeds the State\u2019s training requirements.
\nMUNICIPAL COURT REFORM:
\nThe City will adopt, as part of its Municipal Code, procedures applicable to the jail and the Municipal
\nCourt and will make certain recommendations to the Municipal Judge.
\nACCOUNTABILITY:
\nThe City agrees to certain principles of accountability and agrees to a more-detailed complaint process.
\nCIVILIAN OVERSIGHT:
\nTo promote transparent and community-centered law enforcement, the City
\nagrees to continue and expand its commitment to establishing meaningful civilian oversight of
\nthe police department, primarily through a Civilian Review Board.
\nDATA COLLECTION, REPORTING, AND TRANSPARENCY:
\nThe City agrees to ensure the collection and tracking of all police and
\nmunicipal court data that is: (a) necessary to enable the City\u2019s ongoing assessment and
\nimprovement of its law enforcement practices, as discussed throughout the Agreement; (b)
\nnecessary to enable the Monitor to conduct the outcome assessments; and
\n(c) otherwise required by the Agreement, policy, and applicable law.
\nMONITORING, COMPLIANCE ASSESSMENT, AND ENFORCEMENT:
\nThe Parties will jointly select an Independent Monitor (\u201cMonitor\u201d), which will be
\na team of individuals highly qualified in policing, civil rights, monitoring, and related areas, to
\nassess and report on whether the requirements of the Agreement have been implemented, and
\nwhether this implementation is resulting in constitutional and otherwise lawful policing and
\nadministration of justice, and increased community trust between the public and the Ferguson
\nPolice Department and Court.<\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
FERGUSON CITY COUNCIL\u00a0 VOTE TO CONDITIONALLY APPROVE AGREEMENT FERGUSON, Mo – In a 6-0 vote, Ferguson City Council members voted in favor of a Bill that authorized an agreement, subject to certain conditions, between the City and the Department of Justice. Upon its passage, the Bill becomes an Ordinance and City officials are authorized to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"ocean_post_layout":"","ocean_both_sidebars_style":"","ocean_both_sidebars_content_width":0,"ocean_both_sidebars_sidebars_width":0,"ocean_sidebar":"","ocean_second_sidebar":"","ocean_disable_margins":"enable","ocean_add_body_class":"","ocean_shortcode_before_top_bar":"","ocean_shortcode_after_top_bar":"","ocean_shortcode_before_header":"","ocean_shortcode_after_header":"","ocean_has_shortcode":"","ocean_shortcode_after_title":"","ocean_shortcode_before_footer_widgets":"","ocean_shortcode_after_footer_widgets":"","ocean_shortcode_before_footer_bottom":"","ocean_shortcode_after_footer_bottom":"","ocean_display_top_bar":"default","ocean_display_header":"default","ocean_header_style":"","ocean_center_header_left_menu":"","ocean_custom_header_template":"","ocean_custom_logo":0,"ocean_custom_retina_logo":0,"ocean_custom_logo_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_tablet_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_mobile_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_max_height":0,"ocean_custom_logo_tablet_max_height":0,"ocean_custom_logo_mobile_max_height":0,"ocean_header_custom_menu":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_family":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_subset":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_size":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_unit":"px","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight_tablet":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight_mobile":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform_tablet":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform_mobile":"","ocean_menu_typo_line_height":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_unit":"","ocean_menu_typo_spacing":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_unit":"","ocean_menu_link_color":"","ocean_menu_link_color_hover":"","ocean_menu_link_color_active":"","ocean_menu_link_background":"","ocean_menu_link_hover_background":"","ocean_menu_link_active_background":"","ocean_menu_social_links_bg":"","ocean_menu_social_hover_links_bg":"","ocean_menu_social_links_color":"","ocean_menu_social_hover_links_color":"","ocean_disable_title":"default","ocean_disable_heading":"default","ocean_post_title":"","ocean_post_subheading":"","ocean_post_title_style":"","ocean_post_title_background_color":"","ocean_post_title_background":0,"ocean_post_title_bg_image_position":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_attachment":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_repeat":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_size":"","ocean_post_title_height":0,"ocean_post_title_bg_overlay":0.5,"ocean_post_title_bg_overlay_color":"","ocean_disable_breadcrumbs":"default","ocean_breadcrumbs_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_separator_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_links_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_links_hover_color":"","ocean_display_footer_widgets":"default","ocean_display_footer_bottom":"default","ocean_custom_footer_template":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"ocean_post_oembed":"","ocean_post_self_hosted_media":"","ocean_post_video_embed":"","ocean_link_format":"","ocean_link_format_target":"self","ocean_quote_format":"","ocean_quote_format_link":"post","ocean_gallery_link_images":"on","ocean_gallery_id":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15562","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ferguson","entry"],"yoast_head":"\n