Both the Ferguson city manager, John Shaw, and municipal Judge Ronald Brockmeyer have stepped down this week in the wake of the federal investigation. Meanwhile, the Missouri Supreme Court has assigned all local municipal court cases to an appellate judge “to help restore public trust and confidence in the Ferguson municipal court division,” a release announcing the move said.
Two police supervisors, Capt. Rick Henke and Sgt. William Mudd, also resigned last week after the report, released Wednesday, brought to light emails containing racist jokes.
Attorney General Eric Holder announced the federal agency’s investigation of the city’s law enforcement practices in September, the month after white police officer Darren Wilson shot and killed unarmed black teenager Michael Brown. A separate Justice Department report cleared Wilson of any federal civil rights charges, and a local grand jury also opted not to indict Wilson in November.
However, the federal investigation into Ferguson’s broader justice system found systemic problems in the local police department, court and jail systems that may have violated the U.S. Constitution. Holder said his agency was “prepared to use all the powers that we have” to see Ferguson enact certain reforms.