Ferguson Mayor Announces Changes in Police Monitoring, Recruiting Practices

The events surrounding the shooting of Michael Brown by Officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Mo., in August have impacted the local community, not to mention the nation, in incalculable ways.

Some of the more tangible effects can be accounted for, though, including some described in Sunday’s Los Angeles Times:

The mayor of Ferguson, Mo., announced Sunday that the city would establish a civilian review board to monitor police conduct and would actively recruit more African American officers.

But Mayor James Knowles III said there would be no imminent changes in the leadership of the Police Department.

Knowles’ remarks at a news conference came a day after Officer Darren Wilson resigned from the police force in the wake of violence and international criticism over Wilson’s killing of Michael Brown, an unarmed 18-year-old black man.

The mayor said the proposed changes would help improve the predominantly white police department’s relationship with Ferguson’s predominantly African American residents.

[…] Over the next several months, Knowles said, the city will unveil a program in local public schools that will seek to forge a bond between police officers and young people. That is in addition to the planned civilian review board and the recruitment of more African Americans.

Concerns about the safety of fellow officers as well as that of residents reportedly spurred Wilson to resign Saturday. Ferguson Police Chief Tom Jackson did not follow his lead, remarking Sunday that his “focus has been on safety and security of citizens” and reiterating that he would not step down.

Whether or not the mayor’s newly introduced changes will actually extend beyond the realm of the symbolic remains to be seen.

–Posted by Kasia Anderson