Reforms could cost Ferguson $4 million in first year

FERGUSON, Mo. — Ferguson’s cost of implementing reforms spelled out in a consent agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice could approach $4 million in the first year alone, according to new estimates that further raise questions about whether the community can afford it.

The City Council in the St. Louis suburb is expected to decide Tuesday whether to adopt the agreement. If it doesn’t do so, the Justice Department could file a federal civil rights lawsuit. Ferguson was thrust into the national spotlight after the fatal police shooting of 18-yearold Michael Brown.

The community faces a high financial burden either way — fighting the lawsuit would likely cost millions of dollars.

Brown, who was black and unarmed, was shot to death Aug. 9, 2014, by white Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson during a confrontation in a street. The shooting sparked unrest, deepened scrutiny about police use of force and law enforcement’s interactions with minorities, and led to a Justice Department investigation of Ferguson.

Wilson, who later resigned, was ultimately cleared by the Justice Department. The agency concluded that evidence backed his claim he shot Brown in self-defense after Brown first tried to grab the officer’s gun during a struggle through the window of Wilson’s police vehicle, then came toward him threateningly after briefly running away.

A March report by the Justice Department was critical of police practices and a profit-driven municipal court system. After seven months of negotiations, a consent agreement was announced last month that envisions a top-to-bottom reshaping of basic practices such as how to conduct traffic stops and when to use force.

Since then, estimates about how much it will cost were mostly guesswork, ranging from $500,000 to $1.5 million for the first year.