The Ferguson, Mo., City Council has approved the first reading of a measure to approve an agreement with the Justice Department that would reverse the federal government’s lawsuit against the city.
One year ago, a fatal police shooting of Ferguson resident Michael Brown led the Obama administration to open an investigation into the events surrounding the incident. In January, the Department of Justice released a 131-page proposal for improving relations between officers and community members.
But the city council rejected the federal government’s recommended reforms and Justice sued the city last month.
Attorney General Loretta Lynch said the failure of Ferguson City Council to agree to a resolution left the Obama administration no other choice but to file suit since the locality was not willing to fix problems within its law enforcement.
