Ferguson Police Department (Missouri)

Last updated
Ferguson Police Department
MO - Ferguson Police.png
MO - Ferguson Police Badge.jpg
Flag of Ferguson, Missouri.png
Flag of the City of Ferguson
AbbreviationFPD
Agency overview
Formed1894
Employees110 [1]
Annual budget$9,573,300 USD (2020)
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdictionFerguson, Missouri, United States
St. Louis County Missouri Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Ferguson Highlighted.svg
Map of Ferguson Police Department's jurisdiction
Population20,730 (2018)
Legal jurisdiction Ferguson, Missouri
Governing body City council
General nature
Operational structure
Headquarters222 S. Florissant Road
Sworn members48 [1]
Unsworn members24 [1]
Mayor of Ferguson responsible
Agency executive
Parent agency Ferguson, Missouri
Facilities
Detention centersFerguson Detention Center 222 S. Florissant Road
Marked and UnmarkedsChevrolet Tahoes, Ford Crown Victorias and Harley-Davidson Police Motorcycles
K-9s3
Website
Ferguson Police Department official website

The Ferguson Missouri Police Department (FPD) is a law enforcement agency serving Ferguson, Missouri. Since March 14, 2023, the Current Chief of Police is Troy Doyle [2]

Contents

Col . Troy Doyle was appointed as the Chief of Police of Ferguson Police on Mar 27, 2023 by Interim City Manager John Hampton, and is Ferguson's Fifth African-American Chief of Police . [2]

A federal investigation by the United States Department of Justice initiated in the aftermath of the 2014 Ferguson unrest, found that the Ferguson police department routinely stereotyped and discriminated against African American residents in violation of the Constitution. [3]

Organization

The Ferguson Police Department includes sixty-two including forty-five officers and seventeen civilian support staff. [1] The officers are all police academy graduates and certified peace officers by the Missouri Department of Public Safety. [1]

Three supervisors as well as the chief are graduates of the FBI National Academy. [1] Many officers have bachelors or advanced degrees. [1] All officers participate in advanced continuous training in numerous areas of law enforcement. [1]

In addition to uniformed patrols of policemen and criminal investigation detectives, the department is supplemented with four K-9 officers, a bicycle patrol, and a traffic unit. [1] The department has its own correctional facility, maintains evidence and property, and on-site indoor firearms range. [1]

The department's relationship with the community is enhanced by commitment of personnel to the positions of community relations, business liaison, Drug Abuse Resistance Education ("DARE"), and school resource officers. [1]

Rank structure

TitleInsignia
Chief of Police
4 Gold Stars.svg
Assistant Chief
US-O5 insignia.svg
Captain
Captain insignia gold.svg
Lieutenant
US-O1 insignia.svg
Sergeant
NJSP Sergeant Stripes.png
Police Officer
Blank - Spacer.png

Equipment

Vehicles

Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor Limited numbers still active

Weapons

Body cameras

In late August 2014, Ferguson police officers began wearing body-mounted video cameras donated by Safety Visions and Digital Ally. Fifty cameras were donated. [9]

On December 1, 2014 President Barack Obama announced that the federal government will spend US$75 million on body cameras for law enforcement officers, as one of the measures taken in response to the shooting in Ferguson. [10]

Incidents

2009 Henry Davis incident

In September 2009, officers mistakenly arrested Henry Davis based on an outstanding warrant for another man with the same name. While in custody, Davis was beaten by four officers. Davis was charged with "property damage" supposedly for bleeding on the officers' uniforms. [11] Davis had been arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence. Davis later pleaded guilty to two reduced charges and filed a lawsuit against the officers and the department. On July 28, 2015, an appeals court ruled that Davis could continue his excessive-force suit against the Ferguson Police Department. [12]

Hiring issue

Between July 2009 and December 2010, the department hired a police officer who had previously been fired from the St. Louis County Police Department after being accused of assaulting two minors, one a 12-year-old girl, with his service weapon. The officer was acquitted of the charges in 2010. [13] A state commission found the man had committed "a criminal act". [14] [15]

2011 death of Jason Moore

In September 2011, a Ferguson police officer used a TASER device on Jason Moore. After Moore ran down the street yelling and pounding on cars, the officer used the TASER device on him. When Moore tried to get up from the ground, the officer used the TASER twice more and Moore then stopped breathing. He died of a heart attack. [16] His family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Ferguson Police Department for the death. [8] [16] On November 4, 2016, a federal jury awarded $3 million to the family. [17] Although the city initially appealed the jury verdict, it later agreed on February 1, 2017 to pay the full amount to settle the lawsuit and end the case. [18]

2014 shooting of Michael Brown and unrest

On August 9, 2014, Michael Brown, an unarmed teenager, was fatally shot by Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson after Brown failed to heed directions to stop and started charging Officer Wilson. [19] Brown attacked the officer, fracturing the officer's skull and struggle for control of the officer's service weapon. Brown was shot while facing the officer according to FBI reports. Chief of Police Tom Jackson claimed in a news conference [20] that Brown had been a suspect in a "strong-arm" robbery, but later stated that the robbery was not connected to Officer Wilson's interaction with Brown. [21] The later Department of Justice investigation later described Officer Wilson as having heard the description of the robbery and suspect before he encountered Brown, although Officer Wilson could not recount the specifics of what he heard. [22]

Both peaceful protests and civil disorder began following Brown's shooting and lasted for several days. Police grappled with establishing curfews and maintaining order, inciting further unrest. On August 10, a day of memorials began peacefully, but some crowd members became unruly after an evening candlelight vigil. [23] Local police stations assembled approximately 150 officers in riot gear. [23]

Tom Jackson at a press conference in Ferguson, Missouri Ferguson Police chief Thomas Jackson at press conference.jpg
Tom Jackson at a press conference in Ferguson, Missouri

Chief of Police Tom Jackson drew criticism for his department's release of information about Brown's death, which was described by the Associated Press as "infrequent" and "erratic", as well as for the aggressive response to the unrest. [24]

Jackson said that his top priority in Ferguson was race relations and committed to reach across the racial, economic, and generational divides in the community to find solutions, and said he welcomed the Justice Department training on racial relations between police and the residents, in which two-thirds of the residents are black and all but three of the police force's fifty-three officers are white. [25]

Six weeks after the incident, a press relations firm released a video in which Jackson apologized to Brown's family for taking too long to remove Brown's body from the street, and to the peaceful protesters who felt they couldn't exercise their Constitutional rights, saying that "For any mistakes I've made, I take full responsibility". He also said that he was truly sorry for the loss of their son. An attorney for Brown's family responded that the apology came at a time in which trust in Jackson "has reached an irreversible low". [26]

On October 24, Amnesty International published a report detailing human rights abuses by Ferguson police. The report cited the use of lethal force in Brown's death, racial discrimination and excessive use of police force, imposition of restrictions on the rights to protest, intimidation of protesters, the use of tear gas, rubber bullets, and long range acoustic devices, restrictions imposed on the media covering the protests, and lack of accountability for law enforcement policing protests. [27] [28]

A grand jury declined to indict Wilson which led to further protests, some of which were violent. [29] [30] This incident and the aftermath resulted in world-wide criticism of police tactics and highlighted racism in the United States. [30] The U.S. Department of Justice concluded Wilson shot Brown in self-defense. [31]

Justice Department investigation and report

In September 2014, the United States Justice Department initiated a civil rights investigation to examine concerns about the Ferguson Police Department's practices, as well as reviewing its internal investigations of use of force during the preceding four years. [32] [33] Jackson said he welcomed the investigation. [33] The DOJ investigation concluded that police officers in Ferguson routinely violated the constitutional rights of the city's residents by applying racial stereotypes and discriminating against African-Americans. [34] Internal City of Ferguson e-mails indicated that town officials have been viewing the department as a revenue source.

An article in The Washington Post [35] highlighted key insights gleaned from the report, which they describe as "scathing", including:

The Los Angeles Times published a piece addressing a municipal code called "manner of walking along roadway" described in the report. This code is designed to require pedestrians to walk on the sidewalks or on the side of the road, but according to the report, Ferguson police used the code to harass Blacks, with African Americans accounting for 95% of "manner of walking along roadway" charges from 2011 to 2013. [36] The town imposes the highest fines in the region for violations of "manner of walking." [37]

VOX summarized key findings in the report, including police and municipal officials sending racist emails, police arresting Black residents when they were trying to care for loved ones who were hurt, officers abusing their power and disregarding the law as part of the department's culture while supervisors supported them, and the police department's using race to dictate who would be stopped and the level of force used against them. [38]

Chief Jackson resigned on March 11, 2015, following the release of the Justice Department report and the firing of five Ferguson city officials and police officers. His resignation became effective March 19, when Lieutenant Colonel Al Eickhoff taking over as acting chief. [39] The decision to let Jackson resign rather than be fired is controversial, particularly since his contract was to expire in March anyway and his resignation guaranteed him one year of pay and one year's continuation of his paid health insurance. [39]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miami Police Department</span> Police department for the City of Miami, Florida

The Miami Police Department (MPD), also known as the City of Miami Police Department, is a full-service municipal law enforcement agency serving Miami, Florida, United States. MPD is the largest municipal police department in Florida. MPD officers are distinguishable from their Miami-Dade Police Department counterparts by their blue uniforms and blue-and-white patrol vehicles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pasadena Police Department (California)</span> Police force in California (USA)

The Pasadena Police Department is the police department serving Pasadena, California. The headquarters of the Pasadena Police Department is located at 207 North Garfield Avenue in Pasadena, just a block from the Pasadena City Hall and Paseo Colorado. The department employs 241 sworn officers, 13 reserve officers, and 126 civilian employees. Police chief John Perez, who spent his entire career with the department, retired and was replaced by former PPD Commander, now interim Chief Jason Clawson. The city has selected former San Gabriel, CA PD Chief Eugene Harris to take the position in January 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cincinnati Police Department</span> Law enforcement agency in Ohio, U.S.

The Cincinnati Police Department is the primary law enforcement agency of Cincinnati, Ohio. The department has 1,053 sworn officers and 119 non-sworn employees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cleveland Division of Police</span> Law enforcement agency of Cleveland, Ohio, United States

The Cleveland Division of Police (CDP) is the governmental agency responsible for law enforcement in the city of Cleveland, Ohio. Karrie Howard is the Director of Public Safety and Dornat "Wayne" Drummond is Chief of Police.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albuquerque Police Department</span> Municipal police in New Mexico, U.S.

The Albuquerque Police Department (APD) is the municipal law enforcement agency of Albuquerque, New Mexico. It is the largest police force in the state, with approximately 1,000 sworn officers in 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Police brutality in the United States</span> Use of excessive force by a police officer

Police brutality is the use of excessive or unnecessary force by personnel affiliated with law enforcement duties when dealing with suspects and civilians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portland Police Bureau</span> Law enforcement agency of Portland, Oregon, U.S.

The Portland Police Bureau (PPB), officially the Portland Bureau of Police, is the law enforcement agency of the city of Portland, the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. While oversight of Portland's bureaus shifts among the five City Commissioners, the mayor has historically been assigned to the Police Bureau as the police commissioner.

<i>United States v. City of Portland</i> Lawsuit

United States v. City of Portland was a lawsuit filed by the United States Department of Justice against the City of Portland, Oregon on December 17, 2012, alleging a pattern or practice of unconstitutional use of force by the Portland Police Bureau against individuals with actual or perceived mental illness.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Killing of Michael Brown</span> 2014 fatal police shooting of a black man

On August 9, 2014, 18-year-old Michael Brown was shot and killed by police officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ferguson unrest</span> Aftermath of the shooting of Michael Brown on August 9, 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri

The Ferguson unrest was a series of protests and riots which began in Ferguson, Missouri on August 10, 2014, the day after the fatal shooting of Michael Brown by FPD officer Darren Wilson. The unrest sparked a vigorous debate in the United States about the relationship between law enforcement officers and Black Americans, the militarization of police, and the use-of-force law in Missouri and nationwide. Continuing activism expanded the issues by including modern-day debtors prisons, for-profit policing, and school segregation.

Hands Up United is a social justice activist organization based in Ferguson, Missouri, formed after the fatal shooting of Michael Brown by a police officer. The organization seeks justice in the Michael Brown case and prevention of future incidents nationwide as well as more accountability for police and improving transparency in police and justice departments across the United States. It also offers web technology training workshops to address issues related to the digital divide and economic equality.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hands up, don't shoot</span> Slogan and gesture

"Hands up, don't shoot", sometimes shortened to "hands up", is a slogan and gesture that originated after the August 9, 2014, police shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and then adopted at protests against police brutality elsewhere in the United States. The slogan implies one has their hands in the air, a common sign of submission, and is therefore not a threat to an approaching police officer. Witness reports from the Brown shooting are conflicted as to what Brown was doing with his hands when he was shot. One witness claimed Brown had his hands in the air before being killed, which was the basis for the slogan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Killing of Ezell Ford</span> 2014 homicide by Los Angeles Police Department

Ezell Ford, a 25-year-old African-American man, died from multiple gunshot wounds after being shot by Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers in Florence, Los Angeles, California on August 11, 2014. In the weeks and months that followed, Ford's shooting triggered multiple demonstrations and a lawsuit by Ford's family claiming $75 million in damages.

In the wake of civil unrest and protests in Ferguson, Missouri, Professor Marcia Chatelain of Georgetown University created the #FergusonSyllabus Twitter campaign. Ferguson syllabus provides a space for educators to discuss integrating the events that happened in Ferguson into classrooms.

The shooting of Antonio Zambrano-Montes occurred on February 10, 2015, in Pasco, Washington, United States. Zambrano, a 35-year-old man originally from Michoacán, Mexico, was shot and killed by three police officers after allegedly throwing rocks at cars and police officers. His hands were in the air when the police fired the shots. Police officers said one of the rocks was as large as a softball. A toxicology report conducted by police found Zambrano's blood tested positive for methamphetamine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Police reform in the United States</span> Ongoing left-wing political movement

Police reform in the United States is an ongoing process that seeks to reform systems of law enforcement throughout the United States. Many goals of the police reform movement center on police accountability. Specific goals may include: lowering the criminal intent standard, limiting or abolishing qualified immunity for law enforcement officers, sensitivity training, conflict prevention and mediation training, updating legal frameworks, and granting administrative subpoena power to the U.S. Department of Justice for "pattern or practice" investigations into police misconduct and police brutality.

The Ferguson effect is an increase in violent crime rates in a community caused by reduced proactive policing due to the community's distrust and hostility towards police. The Ferguson effect was first proposed after police saw an increase in violence following the 2014 shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. The term was coined by Doyle Sam Dotson III, the chief of the St. Louis police, to account for an increased murder rate in some U.S. cities following the Ferguson unrest. Whether the Ferguson effect really exists is subject of discussions with many published studies reporting contradicting findings concerning whether there is a change in crime rates, number of 911 calls, homicides, and proactive policing. Furthermore, the effect and influence of the portrayal of police brutality in the media is also contested.

The murder of Laquan McDonald took place on October 20, 2014, in Chicago, Illinois. McDonald was a 17-year-old who was fatally shot by a Chicago Police Officer, Jason Van Dyke. Police had initially reported that McDonald was behaving erratically while walking down the street, refusing to put down a knife, and that he had lunged at officers. Preliminary internal police reports described the incident similarly, leading to the shooting being judged as justifiable, and Van Dyke not being charged at the time. This was later disproved after a video of the encounter was released, showing that McDonald was walking away.

On November 22, 2018, Emantic Fitzgerald Bradford Jr., an African-American man, was shot three times from behind and killed by Hoover police officer David Alexander on the night of Thanksgiving, at the Riverchase Galleria shopping mall in Hoover, Alabama. Police responded to a shooting at the mall where two people were shot. Another African-American man suspected in the first shooting was arrested in Georgia a week later and charged in the shooting of one of those injured. Bradford was holding a legally owned weapon when shot and was not involved in the prior shooting incident, although near the crime scene. The shooting of Bradford was immediately controversial, and was condemned by the Alabama National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) as an example of racially biased policing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shooting of Jacob Blake</span> 2020 police shooting in Kenosha

On August 23, 2020, Jacob S. Blake, a 29-year-old black man, was shot and seriously injured by police officer Rusten Sheskey in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Sheskey shot Blake in the back four times and the side three times after Blake opened the driver's door of an SUV belonging to the mother of his children, and attempted to reach inside. Sheskey said that he believed he was about to be stabbed, since Blake was holding a knife. Earlier during the encounter, Blake had been tasered by two officers, but the tasers failed to disable him and he continued towards the vehicle.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Administration - Ferguson, MO - Official Website". City of Ferguson Police Department. City of Ferguson. Archived from the original on 2 December 2014. Retrieved 4 December 2014.
  2. 1 2 Viviano, Katy (2019-06-25). "Ferguson hires new full-time police chief". fox2now.com. Retrieved 2019-09-11.
  3. United States Department of Justice – Civil Rights Division (2015-03-04). Investigation of the Ferguson Police Department (PDF) (Report). pp. 15–89. Retrieved 2019-09-23. IV. FERGUSON LAW ENFORCEMENT PRACTICES VIOLATE THE LAW AND UNDERMINE COMMUNITY TRUST, ESPECIALLY AMONG AFRICAN AMERICANS
  4. Lamothe, Dan (19 August 2014). "Pentagon defends program supplying military gear to Ferguson police". Washington Post . Retrieved 4 December 2014.
  5. Sanchez, Ray (November 26, 2014). "Darren Wilson says he's sorry but his conscience is clear". CNN . Retrieved 4 December 2014.
  6. Calamur, Krishnadev (November 25, 2014). "Ferguson Documents: The Physical Evidence". NPR . Retrieved 4 December 2014.
  7. Currier, Joel (November 26, 2014). "AR-15 rifle stolen from St. Louis County police car torched by rioters in Ferguson". St. Louis Post-Dispatch . Retrieved 4 December 2014.
  8. 1 2 John Eligon and Michael S. Schmidt, "In Ferguson, Scrutiny on Police Is Growing", New York Times, August 20, 2014.
  9. Hollinshed, Denise (September 1, 2014). "Ferguson police are using body cameras". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
  10. "Obama to announce $75 million for body cameras". MSNBC . December 2014.
  11. Daly, Michael (15 August 2014). "The Day Ferguson Cops Were Caught in a Bloody Lie". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
  12. Daly, Michael (29 July 2015). "Ferguson Prisoner Beaten by Cops Has Won His Appeal". Daily Beast. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
  13. Matt Sledge, "Ferguson Hired Officer With History Of Allegedly Hitting Children", Huffington Post, August 19, 2014.
  14. Daly, Michael (20 August 2014). "From Ferguson Cop Embroiled in a Brutality Suit to City Councilwoman". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
  15. "Before Mike Brown Shooting, Ferguson Police Department Had History Of Misconduct Allegations". International Business Times. 18 August 2014. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
  16. 1 2 Thorsen, Leah (20 August 2014). "New lawsuit alleges Ferguson officers used Taser on mentally ill man in 2011, killing him". St. Louis Post Dispatch. Retrieved 5 December 2014.
  17. Patrick, Robert. "Jury awards $3 million to relatives of man who died after Tasing by Ferguson police". stltoday.com. Retrieved 2016-11-06.
  18. Patrick, Robert. "Settled: Ferguson pays $3 million to family of naked, unarmed man who died after police encounter". stltoday.com. Retrieved 2017-02-04.
  19. Schmidt, Michael S.; Apuzzo, Matt; Bosman, Julie (October 17, 2014). "Police Officer in Ferguson Is Said to Recount a Struggle". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2014-10-18. Retrieved October 18, 2014.
  20. Berman, Mark (15 August 2014). "Ferguson police say Michael Brown was a robbery suspect, identify Darren Wilson as officer who shot him". The Washington Post. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
  21. Larimer, Sarah (11 March 2015). "'I understand the frustration': Ferguson Police Chief Tom Jackson, in his own words". The Washington Post. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
  22. https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/opa/press-releases/attachments/2015/03/04/doj_report_on_shooting_of_michael_brown_1.pdf [ bare URL PDF ]
  23. 1 2 "Looting Erupts After Vigil for Slain Missouri Teen Michael Brown". NBC News. Associated Press. August 10, 2014. Archived from the original on 2014-08-13. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
  24. "Ferguson Police Chief Thomas Jackson cedes much of his authority". Fox News. Archived from the original on 2014-08-19. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
  25. Alan Scher Zagier, Jeff Roberson. "Amid criticism, police defend use of tear gas at Ferguson protests". Kansas City Star. Archived from the original on 2014-08-17. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
  26. "Ferguson police chief apologizes to Michael Brown's family in video". St. Louis Dispatch. 26 September 2014. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
  27. "On the Streets of America: Human Rights Abuses in Ferguson". Amnesty International. October 24, 2014. Archived from the original on October 24, 2014. Retrieved October 25, 2014.
  28. Alter, Charlotte (October 24, 2014). "3 Key Takeaways From Amnesty International's Ferguson Report". Time. Archived from the original on October 24, 2014. Retrieved October 25, 2014.
  29. Basu, Moni; Ellis, Ralph; Ford, Dana (November 24, 2014). "No indictment in Michael Brown shooting". CNN. Retrieved November 24, 2014.
  30. 1 2 "Ferguson shooting: Protests spread across US". BBC News. 25 November 2014. Retrieved November 26, 2014.
  31. Phelps, Timothy M.; Muskal, Michael (March 4, 2015). "Federal report largely backs Darren Wilson in Ferguson police shooting case". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 18, 2015. Retrieved March 25, 2015.
  32. Bill Chappell. "One Month Later: Michael Brown's Family Calls For Arrest". NPR. Archived from the original on 2014-09-14. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
  33. 1 2 Apuzzo, Matt; Fernandez, Manny (4 September 2014). "Justice Dept. Inquiry to Focus on Practices of Police in Ferguson". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2014-09-15. Retrieved 14 September 2014.
  34. Apuzzo, Matt (3 March 2015). "Justice Department Finds Pattern of Police Bias and Excessive Force in Ferguson". The New York Times. Retrieved 3 March 2015.
  35. "The 12 key highlights from the DOJ's scathing Ferguson report". The washington Post. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  36. "Walking in Ferguson: If you're black, it's often against the law". Los Angeles Times. 5 March 2015. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  37. Robertson, Campbell (4 March 2015). "A City Where Policing, Discrimination and Raising Revenue Went Hand in Hand". The New York Times . Retrieved 5 March 2015.
  38. "The 6 most damning findings from the DOJ's report on racism in the city of Ferguson". Vox. 4 March 2015. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  39. 1 2 Sidner, Sara; Shoichet, Catherine E.; Cummings, Julian (11 March 2015). "Ferguson police chief resigns, says it's 'hard pill to swallow'". www.cnn.com. CNN. Retrieved March 11, 2015.

38°44′27″N90°18′11″W / 38.74079°N 90.30307°W / 38.74079; -90.30307