City of Ferguson Mandatory Body Cameras for Police Officers Initiative (2016)

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Ferguson Mandatory Police Body Cameras Initiative
The basics
Election date:
Unknown
Status:
Not on the ballot
Topic:
Local law enforcement
Related articles
Local law enforcement on the ballot Local ballot measures, Missouri St. Louis County, Missouri ballot measures
See also
Ferguson, Missouri Shooting in Ferguson, Missouri Using local measures to advance national agendas

An initiative to require body cameras for police officers was not put on the ballot for Ferguson voters in St. Louis County, Missouri, in 2016.

If approved, the initiative would have required all police officers to wear a camera while on duty. It would have also required the city police department to make the recorded videos accessible to anyone that appears in the video footage. Under the initiative, police officers would have been required to report to the city council all incidents in which force was used. Video footage would have been deleted after two years, unless circumstances or other laws required differently.

The initiative petition paperwork was filed by the group of petitioners on June 23, 2015.

Support

Supporters

A man named Nick Kasoff organized the group behind the petition drive. The group received advice from the Liberty Initiative Fund, a national advocacy group based in Virginia.

Arguments in favor

Kasoff said, "Whichever side of the debate you are on, you have video footage of what happened and things can be done properly."

Paul Jacob, president of Liberty Initiative Fund, said, "Everybody knows this problem isn't limited to Ferguson. But Ferguson marks a symbolic starting point for people across the country, who are tackling criminal justice reform directly through the citizen initiative – from body cameras for police to ending civil asset forfeiture and other policing for profit schemes."

Opposition

If you know of arguments or endorsements that should be listed here, please email editor@ballotpedia.org.

Path to the ballot

Petitioners needed about 1,300 valid signatures, which amounted to 10 percent of the voters registered to vote at the last regular city election, to get the initiative on an election ballot in 2016.

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Background

The big picture

See also: Using local measures to advance national agendas

Local politics has always been affected by larger agendas and issues, as well as outside interests and funding. In local ballot measure races, the influence of state or national interests on local issues has been brought into sharp relief when advocates for certain statewide and national agendas or outside corporations back local measures. As this occurs more frequently and in races that garner national attention, the use of local ballot measures to advance a statewide or national agenda has become an important narrative in U.S. politics.

Michael Brown shooting

See also: Shooting in Ferguson, Missouri

The Ferguson Police Department stated that it had a police body camera program, but it did not specify details about how many officers wore body cameras or what was done with the camera footage. Officer Darren Wilson was not wearing a body camera when he shot Michael Brown in an incident that drew national attention and fueled riots and, ultimately, intervention from the United States National Guard. Details about this incident are below. Michael Brown shooting Michael Brown, an 18-year-old resident of the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson, Missouri, was shot and killed by a police officer on August 9, 2014. Brown and a friend reportedly got into an altercation with a police officer, Darren Wilson, who fired his weapon at Brown. A robbery had reportedly taken place at a convenience store just prior to the shooting with the suspect allegedly matching Brown's description. Attorney General Eric Holder announced a federal investigation into the matter on August 11, 2014. Timeline of subsequent events Rioting in Ferguson Riots and violence from Ferguson citizens began the night of August 10, 2014, and continued through August 18, 2014. Looting and protests against the police led to officers shooting tear gas and rubber bullets into the crowds in an attempt to restore order to the community. By August 12, 2014, the police department announced that 32 people had been arrested in connection to the violence and looting, with the department defending their tactics, stating, "What occurred last night, the mob action, we know certainly is not representative of what's going on and what the people in the neighborhood necessarily think." Highway patrol takeover Following days of riots and violence, including the arrests of two journalists by local authorities, the Missouri Highway Patrol took over security in Ferguson on August 14, 2014, with the intent of changing the mood of the area and de-escalating the violence. The highway patrol ditched riot gear for plain clothes, talked with the people and even marched with them for a short time. Ron Johnson, the captain of the patrol, said of his personal ties to the area, "I roamed these streets. When the media from out of state is gone and when the people from out of this community are gone, Ron Johnson is still going to be here." State of emergency declared Police barricade the streets of Ferguson Governor Jay Nixon (D) declared a state of emergency and established a curfew between the hours of 12 a.m. and 5 a.m. on August 16, 2014. The following day, the NAACP, the ACLU and the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law called for Governor Nixon's curfew in Ferguson to end, arguing, "Any order restricting constitutional rights must clearly communicate to the public when and where it will apply, articulate valid justifications for the restrictions, and provide ample alternative locations where people may gather to express their views on the important issues being discussed in Ferguson." Governor Nixon canceled the curfew for the following day. Violence continued on the evening of August 17, 2014, when peaceful daytime protesters turned markedly more violent after dark. Molotov cocktails and gunshots were fired in the direction of the highway patrol officers. Officers responded by firing tear gas into the crowd. Three more reporters were temporarily placed under arrest at the direction of Missouri Highway Patrol Captain Ron Johnson. Governor Nixon responded on August 18, 2014, by ordering the National Guard to Ferguson to help restore order. National Guard in Ferguson With the National Guard in place, protests devolved into violence once again on August 18, 2014, continuing into August 19, during which it was initially reported that 31 protesters were placed under arrest. Records obtained by local media outlets on August 19 confirmed there were actually 78 arrests. Four police officers and two civilians were injured by gunfire from the protesters, police said. Of those arrested, some had come from as far as New York, California and Washington. Prior to the protests on August 18, Johnson announced that journalists in the area would continue to be detained because of the violent nature of the protests. He stated that once taken into custody, journalists would be treated properly and would be promptly released, if called for; he explained, "in the midst of it, we cannot — in the midst of it, in the midst of chaos, and trying to move people on, we have to be safe. ... And we are providing protection for journalists. We had, we had a journalist who was trapped in the midst of that gunfire, in the midst of that chaos. And we're providing protection for them. We took journalists back to their trucks." Police investigation Officer's identity revealed Wilson's identity as the shooting officer was revealed on August 15, 2014, following days of death threats. Governor Nixon called the release of the officer's name, Darren Wilson, a "good move" as the violence de-escalated. On the same day, 48 media organizations called on the Ferguson Police Department for increased transparency and lighter tactics in a letter written to the department. The letter stated, "As organizations that cover news and defend the rights of journalists to gather the news, we write to express our deep concern over the unwarranted detention of two journalists on Wednesday and with other reports of police intimidation and harassment of journalists in Ferguson. It is also extremely troubling that the police have not been more timely in releasing the records surrounding these incidents and the shooting of Michael Brown." Autopsy results Autopsy results, released on August 17, 2014, by Dr. Michael Baden, former chief medical examiner for the City of New York, showed Brown was shot six times by Wilson, including two shots to his head. His clothes were not examined in the initial report, but no gunpowder was discovered on his skin, indicating that he may not have been at close range to Wilson when he was shot. The report also indicated that Brown was facing Wilson during all shots fired. Baden said some of the shots caused multiple wounds, including one shot that went through the top of Brown's head, stating, "This one here looks like his head was bent downward. It can be because he’s giving up, or because he’s charging forward at the officer." Baden, brought in at the request of the Brown family to conduct an independent autopsy, noted that not enough information had been gathered to fully reenact the scene, explaining, "Right now there is too little information to forensically reconstruct the shooting." St. Louis County officials also conducted an autopsy, but the findings were not released to the public. The U.S. Department of Justice was also scheduled to conduct an autopsy, which was considered common in cases where local authorities were not trusted by their communities, in order to ensure an honest investigation. Release of evidence Ferguson protesters in New York City St. Louis County investigators announced on August 19, 2014, that evidence in the case would not be made public until it was presented to a grand jury, which would potentially take months. While the media and public made calls for the evidence to be made public, United States Attorney Richard Callahan stated, "While the lack of details surrounding the shooting may frustrate the media and breed suspicion among those already distrustful of the system, those closely guarded details give law enforcement the best yardsticks for measuring whether witnesses are truthful." Attorney General Eric Holder reiterated the need for patience in the investigation, explaining, "No matter how others pursue their own separate inquiries, the Justice Department is resolved to preserve the integrity of its investigation." National Bar lawsuit The National Bar Association filed a lawsuit against the City of Ferguson in an effort to preserve all evidence of Brown's death, including officers' notes and all information collected from the scene of the crime. The suit was filed August 18, 2014. State senator arrested State Sen. Jamilah Nasheed (D) was arrested outside the Ferguson police station during a protest on October 20, 2014. St. Louis County police said that Nasheed had violated a city ordinance forbidding "walking in a roadway where sidewalks are accessible," and did not move when warned. Nasheed was released from the St. Ann jail the following morning after an unidentified party posted bond. Nasheed said her arrest was intentional and "symbolic," urging non-violent protest going forward. At the time of her arrest, the grand jury had yet to deliver a decision on whether to charge Darren Wilson, but Nasheed told reporters upon leaving jail that protesters "have a long road ahead of us these next three weeks." Police said that Nasheed was carrying a loaded handgun and that she refused a breathalyzer test; Nasheed, who denied being intoxicated, said that she has a concealed-carry permit and regularly carries a gun. Grand Jury findings released On the evening of November 24, 2014, the results of the grand jury determined officer Darren Wilson would not be charged in the shooting death of Michael Brown. Evidence shown to the grand jury portrayed an altercation between Brown and Wilson inside Wilson's police car during which Brown's blood got on Wilson's clothes and gun. Attorney General Holder confirmed, however, that the federal investigation had not concluded and that civil rights charges were still a possibility depending on their findings.

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Ferguson Police Camera initiative. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

City of Ferguson Mandatory Body Cameras for Police Officers Initiative (2016) - Google News

See also

• Shooting in Ferguson, Missouri
• Local law enforcement on the ballot
• St. Louis County, Missouri ballot measures
• Ferguson, Missouri municipal elections, 2015

External links

Suggest a link

• Ferguson City Government website