Does Ferguson Police Department Need Major Changes?

October 29, 2014
Written by Eric Tucker in
National Collegiate Dialogue, Race Relations
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The Justice Department is investigating the practices of the police department following the Aug. 9 police shooting of an unarmed black 18-year-old, Michael Brown. That investigation focuses on alleged patterns of racial discrimination by the overwhelmingly white police department.
The Justice Department is investigating the practices of the police department following the Aug. 9 police shooting of an unarmed black 18-year-old, Michael Brown. That investigation focuses on alleged patterns of racial discrimination by the overwhelmingly white police department. Photo Credit: businessinsider.com

Does the Ferguson, Missouri police department need major changes because of the death of an unarmed black teen and the subsequent handling of the incident by law enforcement, the continued unrest in the community and lingering doubt about whether the real facts will ever be known or justice ever served?

Attorney General Eric Holder said Wednesday that there was an obvious need for "wholesale change" in the Ferguson, Missouri, police department.

The Justice Department is investigating the practices of the police department following the Aug. 9 police shooting of an unarmed black 18-year-old, Michael Brown. That investigation focuses on alleged patterns of racial discrimination by the overwhelmingly white police department.

Local and federal authorities are also continuing to investigate the shooting of Brown by Officer Darren Wilson for potential criminal charges.

At the Washington Ideas Forum, Holder would not say what the reforms should be, but said the need for "wholesale change" was clear.

Attorney General Eric Holder speaks at the sixth annual "Washington Ideas Forum" in Washington, Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2014 where he addresses the Ferguson, MO police department and other issues.

A government official confirmed that there are discussions among Missouri officials about having Ferguson Police Chief Tom Jackson step down as part of efforts to change the department. The official was not authorized to discuss those talks by name and spoke on condition of anonymity.

The police department posted on its Twitter account that Jackson had not resigned and had not been asked to resign.

During a wide-ranging question-and-answer session, Holder was also asked about his 2009 characterization of the country as a "nation of cowards" when it comes to racial matters. He said he stood by those remarks and that the country was "still reluctant to talk about matters of race."

Links to more in depth articles on USAonRace.com about the killing of Michael Brown and the Ferguson police department are below:


Michael Brown Death Investigated by U.S. Justice Department

Police Response to Michael Brown Death Shows Militarization

Why Was Michael Brown Killed By Police?

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press.

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National Collegiate Dialogue, Race Relations

Comments

Ferguson Needs Help

Submitted by PARKF2014-14 on

This incident continues to flare in Ferguson. As we have seen in other articles there is a huge need for chance in this police department. Accidents happen in all of them. This one has gone viral. If having the Police Chief step down to make a statement of commitment to change beginning then then is what should happen in my opinion.
We still get back to the real problem which is needing more diversity and unless the minorities are wanting the jobs where is the solution?

Ferguson Needs Help

Submitted by PARKF2014-16 on

I agree that the best solution would be to add more diversity and minorities into the police department. The police force throughout the country seems to be dominated by whites. That is not something specific to Ferguson, like you mentioned. Personally, I do not believe that forcing the police chief to step down will be beneficial. Has he done anything that should get him fired?

How to help?

Submitted by PARKF2014-07 on

I believe that our countries police departments are mainly white, which can cause problems, but no one is willing to step up. They just complain about how there are no minorities and if there were we wouldn't have crimes like the ones in Ferguson. Minority groups need to take action and try to affect positive change the force. I agree that the chief has done nothing wrong to get fired and will only cause more problems if he is fired or decides to step down.

Agreeed

Submitted by PARKF2014-08 on

I absolutely agree with you. I think because the police department consists of mainly white officers, it delays justice. It is about time minority groups step up and make a change.

Stepping Up

Submitted by PARKF2014-07 on

It is easy to say that the police force needs more minorities and has too many white officers but that means minority groups need to step up and no one can force them to do that. People are so quick to complain about situations instead of taking action and making a difference in that field. Only minority groups can fix the issue at hand. They have to stand up and effect positive change.

agreed

Submitted by PARKF2014-07 on

I agree. People are always so quick to jump and say there is a problem but not to offer a solution. If the chief did step down would a minority apply for the job? If not I do not think that there is any reason for the chief to step down. If minorities that are complaining are not willing to stand up and take action I do not think they have the right to criticize.

Agreed.

Submitted by PARKF2014-12 on

The world we live in is all about criticizing, pointing out problems, and not working towards a solution. I feel as if the situation in Ferguson is past our comprehension and is going to take something dramatic to fix it. Citizens of that area are out of control and are acting out because they want change. But, what kind of change needs to happen? That's up to authorities to establish and work towards. There's only so much that can be done by people like us. All that can be done at this point is pray for the people out there and hope that things do change and they're needs and wants are satisfied or a compromise is established.

Police Chief

Submitted by PARKF2014-12 on

I think the Police Chief stepping down is the first step in proactively making a step to solve this issue for the long-term. It's planting the seed to show the citizens of the Ferguson area that the department is making an attempt to have more diversity and have some new faces that may bring different or better insight of how to improve that area. Even though the federal government has stepped in, it's sad that they have not been able to help or make a change. Things will continue to flare up until something is done. What that is? Obviously, no on knows at this point.

Ferguson needs help

Submitted by PARKF2014-11 on

It's like this type of action that took Ferguson to figure out that they need to change something. It might be that 1) it's not working whatever they are currently doing as a team or 2) that there is someone in there that might be influencing the negative occurrences. Whatever it may be it is probably a good idea to change it up somehow and get people in the situation that can come from a different perspective to shine light at the current matter to help those that are on the inside and don't know what to do about it.

Not so easy.

Submitted by PARKF2014-17 on

We can agree all day that "the police force needs more minorities!"- however it isn't that easy. From a previous article, we read that it won't be so easy if these minorities, not just in Ferguson but nation wide, are being taught from the days they can hear and talk that the police/positions of power are not to be trusted. From early on they're taught, whether directly or not, to fear and not trust the police, and then when they're adults they're supposed to trust them? It's more than just "let's hire minorities!", guys. I think it's a much bigger problem with more intricate difficulties.

Agreed.

Submitted by PARKF2014-12 on

This is now a bigger issue than more minorities in a specific police department. Unit something is found out about this certain situation then the protesting is going to continue and the overall situation will continue to get worse. I think this is a situation where citizen's voices are wanting to be heard and those things are being done immaturely. What about all of the good circumstances that are taking place out there? The media obviously thrives off of bad things, not good things. It's unfortunate that this has to happen the way it has.

Not so easy

Submitted by PARKF2014-11 on

Good point! The part where you referred back to another article is so true. Hiring minorities might be the long term solution for many of these departments that are having similar kinds of issues but figuring out what a short term plan is I feel would be more beneficial to all the teams for the start. Being taught one thing at a young age then realizing something completely different could be the underlying issue on terms of the victims or the police officers. Seeing it from this view could really help the leaders of the departments track down a different approach and go from there. It will take the whole team not just a few individuals to make changes for the good to be executed.

Not a racial issue.

Submitted by PARKF2014-12 on

In my opinion the Ferguson events are not a racial issue. According to what I know about the situation is that a police officer felt threatened and acted upon that threat. I'm not in Ferguson, I wasn't there for the incident, and I don't ever plan on going there, but something needs to be done. The situation is obviously worsening with the continued "riots" and protesting. In a way, people are finding a reason to make things worse. It's a bigger problem than black vs. white and police vs. civilians.

Exactly.....

Submitted by PARKF2014-06 on

This is what I was thinking as well. It is true we are not in Ferguson to know what's going on but if change is needed, it should be after the case has been dealt with and finalize. The officer is innocent until proven guilty, just like everyone else. If there's enough evidence to charge him then the grand jury should indict him. If not, he should go free. That's the way the system works and we should abide by it. It would have been illegal to charge him without an indictment.

Racial Issue?

Submitted by PARKF2014-07 on

I think that in a lot of situations where the race of two people the race card is played a lot. I am not saying that this was not a racial issue but to solely base what happened because the color of someone's skin is outrageous. If it was a black cop and black young man that got shot would the community be reacting the same way? I think it is unfair to say that the cop shot the young man simply because he was black and not for other reasons, such as his life was being threatened.

Change yes, but not 'Wholesome Change'

Submitted by PARKF2014-06 on

I don't believe that they need a 'wholesale change' as what is said by the attorney general. Ferguson’s police department does need a lot more black police officers (seeing as most of the town’s residents are black and most of the police department’s officers are white), and personal audio/video recorders on all police officers, so the next time one of them gets into a ruckus with a common person they see as a thug or criminal or whatever and somebody gets killed, they will all have more than unreliable witness statements and ultimately scant forensic evidence to go on.

Agreed

Submitted by PARKF2014-17 on

I do agree in that there needs to be more black officers but going back on what I said earlier about how it won't be so easy, I think small changes could definitely help. Body cameras and maybe the police department step up and try to put themselves in positive situations so the public can begin to associate cops with positive situations and that they are there to HELP and PROTECT not just hand out tickets and shoot people.

Exactly

Submitted by PARKF2014-12 on

Small changes lead to big changes over time. The city of Ferguson and the police department can't expect a big change right now. As a whole, they have to be proactive and work together so that changes can be implemented and maintained. The first change that needs to be made is to try and find a way to satisfy the protesters. I honestly believe that the protesters are preventing any change from taking place. If they realized that then they would be less likely to continue what they're doing. They need to cooperate just like the police department needs to cooperate and show that they truly care. Also, can't the media show some positives that have risen out of this? I'm sure there are some out there...

The Case

Submitted by PARKF2014-08 on

I would like to believe that the Ferguson Police Department is doing everything they can to make sure justice is served. I just think that their idea of what justice is may be different than the majority of other people. I think most people would like to see Officer Darren Wilson punished as a sign of punishment. But I do feel like there are other things that are at play that is preventing justice from happening.

Agreed

Submitted by PARKF2014-12 on

It's obvious that the people of Ferguson want justice to be served for Officer Wilson, but what if he was in the right? There is always two sides to a story and both parties are bias to what they believe and what they know. The people of Ferguson need to step back and analyze the entire situation. The police department needs to do the same thing. I don't agree with the constant protesting and I don't think it's accomplishing anything besides turning this into a race issue. Would this have happened if it was a white kid that got killed? In my opinion, nope! We have the choice in life to make things what they are. The people of Ferguson turned this into what it is now. I believe that Wilson felt threatened and acted accordingly. I'm kind of mind blown about all of this.

Agree

Submitted by PARKF2014-07 on

I agree in the sense that people are quick to jump to conclusions in saying that justice is not being served. No one truly knows what went on that day besides the people that were there. To say that the Ferguson Police Department is not doing their job is ridiculous because they are now dealing with riots and illegal acts in Ferguson. It is not their job to serve justice that is the courts job. The case will be investigated and taken to court and that is out of the police departments hands.

A Trip

Submitted by PARKF2014-16 on

This weekend, I will be in St. Louis, which is close to Ferguson. I am anxious to see for myself how things are going there. The media could be portraying something completely different than what is currently happening. I hope that I will see minority police officers but I predict that I will not see many if I see any at all. This is too close for comfort to where I live in Kansas City, Missouri. This article is relevant now. It is scary and I should not be frightened to travel there.

Media

Submitted by PARKF2014-12 on

I hope your trip to St. Louis was fun and safe. I believe that the media portrays and displays only part of the truth. I believe they display what the majority wants to hear and not what everyone should here. Its like the war overseas... Do you really think they portray the truth and what is really going on over there? I, first hand, know they do not. The media displays things that we want to hear and things that will keep us watching - that's how they make their money. I think that things are being "blown up" over there and is only partially true.

Agree

Submitted by PARKF2014-07 on

I think that people rely on what the media tells us instead of thinking for themselves. The media can twist any situation and make it seem like that truth. That is why it is important to know what is going on and be educated when it comes to things like this so when you talk and debate about it you see every side and possible situation that could have happened.

A Trip

Submitted by PARKF2014-11 on

This is such a good idea. I would be eager to see what you find there especially close to where the shooting happened. It is sad to think that you are going hours east of us and possibly afraid or uncomfortable to visit there. It would be interesting to talk to some of the locals to see if their opinions would differ from the ones that were portrayed on the media and the news channels.

Luckily, nothing happened

Submitted by PARKF2014-16 on

Luckily, nothing happened when I was visiting. I would have liked to learn more information about what really happened in Ferguson but I never actually went into Ferguson - I stayed around St. Charles for a conference I attended. Since most of the people around me were not from the area, their opinions would not match up with those of the Ferguson locals.

A trip...

Submitted by PARKF2014-07 on

I was in St. Louis when the verdict came out. It was scary because I knew what was going to happen in Ferguson. It is so sad that it has to come to looting and burring down building and having police tear gas people to control them. It is not bringing any type of justice or positive things to Mike Brown's name.

Autopsy

Submitted by PARKF2014-12 on

Has anyone heard of the new findings regarding the autopsy of Brown? I don't know how credible the source was, but according to the autopsy, the officer who shot Brown was just doing his job and protecting his own life. I think, just like any police department in this country, the Ferguson PD needs changes and needs help. In any instance in this country, everything can grow and everything can be improved.

Does Ferguson Police Department Need Major Changes? - See more a

Submitted by PARKF2014-14 on

I definitely agree. We can turn anything racial if we want. If the real problem is employing more minorities, than maybe the focus needs to be on educating the population as a whole, and trying to reach out to that population so Ferguson, and other departments can get the result they wanting.

agreed

Submitted by PARKF2014-07 on

I think that any situation can be made into a race thing. If minorities want to see more diversity in the force then they need to step up and make that a goal of theirs because they are the only ones that can effect that change in police departments and i think it would be good to have more diversity in the force not only in Ferguson but in police departments everywhere so the race card can not be played in every situation that happens.

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