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DOJ: Police response to Ferguson protests exacerbated tensions

By Tomas Monzon
Police try to keep protesters from advancing arm in arm toward the entrance of the Thomas F. Eagleton Federal Building in St. Louis on Aug. 10. They were among about 200 protesters who gathered to mark the one-year anniversary of Michael Brown's death. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI
1 of 3 | Police try to keep protesters from advancing arm in arm toward the entrance of the Thomas F. Eagleton Federal Building in St. Louis on Aug. 10. They were among about 200 protesters who gathered to mark the one-year anniversary of Michael Brown's death. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License Photo

WASHINGTON, Sept. 3 (UPI) -- Police response to protests last year over the shooting of an unarmed teenager in Ferguson, Missouri, made the situation worse, the U.S. Justice Department said in a report released Thursday.

The report says the use of dogs, snipers and tactical vehicles designed for the military increased tensions between law enforcement and protesters and elicited fear in the latter.

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The Justice Department's Office of Community Oriented Policing Service (COPS) studied the reaction of police to the 17 days of protests that followed the Aug. 9, 2014, shooting of Michael Brown. It focused on the conduct of the St. Louis County police, St. Louis Metropolitan police, the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Ferguson police department, but noted that more than 50 law-enforcement agencies were ultimately involved.

The report says a lack of communication characterized the involvement of so many agencies working together. It also said that the use of dog teams evoked "powerful emotions," especially in places where "racial tensions" play a role.

The report said tear gas was used inappropriately in lieu of safer methods and condemned the use of sniper rifle scopes to monitor the crowd. Finally, it criticized the tactic of repeatedly asking people to move.

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The Ferguson police department never established a rapport with the inhabitants of the apartment complex where Brown was killed or with the African-American community in the city, the report said.

St. Louis County Chief Jon Belmar said the report was important but short of "a complete lesson" for himself and other law enforcement officers.

Brown, who was black, was shot to death by Ferguson Officer Darren Wilson, who is white. Wilson resigned from the force and was not prosecuted in Brown's death.

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