The Ferguson City Council voted unanimously late Tuesday to approve the Department of Justice’s plan to reform the city’s police and court systems.
“Tonight, the city of Ferguson, Mo., took an important step towards guaranteeing all of its citizens the protections of our Constitution,” Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta said in a statement Tuesday night.
“We are pleased that they have approved the consent decree, a document designed to provide the framework needed to institute constitutional policing in Ferguson, and look forward to filing it in court in the coming days and beginning to work with them towards implementation,” the statement continued.
The decision comes after city leaders had refused to accept the federal government’s 131-page resolution in February. The Obama administration subsequently sued Ferguson in federal district court for refusing to accept its terms to amend the city’s law enforcement practices.
Ferguson had initially accepted the government’s proposal in January, but surprised Attorney General Loretta Lynch weeks later when it asked for revisions to select aspects of the agreement, including no pay raise for officers.
Tuesday’s confirmation confirms the city will implement new reforms, including the use of body cameras on all patrol officers, supervisors and jail workers within 180 days.
In August 2014, the fatal shooting of a black man named Michael Brown drew national attention for the city’s unfair conduct against African-Americans by police and prosecutors.
