Ferguson protesters defy curfew
Conflicting reports suggest that the police are using either smoke bombs or tear gas. Gunshots are reportedly being heard in the area.
These flags are flying in
#Ferguson Can anyone identify them?
They are called the "Flag of Arab Revolt."
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Police Chief Jon Belmar: Require Ferguson and St. Louis County and City police officers to wear body cameras.
SIGN PETITION
"" I'm a native of the St. Louis area, and the killing of Michael Brown makes me beyond sick. Michael, only 18 years old, is around my age. He was unarmed when he was shot and killed by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri. Many continue to speculate what happened, and we may never know the truth. But one thing we know for sure is that the officer who killed him did not have a car dash camera or a body cam to record the incident -- a camera that could have prevented the incident or given us clear information about what happened.
I've participated in the local demonstrations because I am so appalled by what has happened. These questionable police activities are unfortunately not new to many in this area. I've been illegally searched by the local police more times than I can count. Many of my friends can say the same. It's not right, and I won't stand for it.
And I won't accept Michael's death taken in vain. That's why I am asking for the St. Louis City Police Department, the St. Louis City Police Department and the Ferguson Police Department to require police officers to wear cameras and record any interaction with the public at all times.
Attaching cameras to the police officers' uniforms would come with many benefits. The cameras would cost a few hundreds dollars each and would:
-Provide greater transparency and a constant third party witness
-Enhance police and citizen motivation to act lawfully and truthfully
-Lessen the chance of deadly force being used by police
-Reduce the number of lawsuits and increase dismissed lawsuits with digital evidence
-Increase citizen's trust of his/her police force thanks to recorded actions
Police departments nationwide are using or testing on-body cameras and they're reportedly reducing police misconduct. When the Rialto Police Department in California adopted cameras, the number of complaints filed against officers fell by 88 percent and the use of force by officers fell by almost 60 percent. Other municipalities that have employed these cameras have seen a sharp drop in complaints and misconduct.
We must stop more preventable tragedies like the one that took place in Ferguson by taking this action. If something like this happens again, which I hope it never does, we will have a first-person view of any altercation with no grey area. Body cameras will protect both officers and civilians.
We need to be able to police the police. Please sign this petition to honor Mike's life with this change that will likely save many other lives in the future.
""
SIGN PETITION