The Latest: Ferguson voters OK body camera initiative
FERGUSON, Mo. (AP) — The Latest on Ferguson, Missouri, municipal elections (all times local):
9:50 p.m.
Ferguson, Missouri, will have strict new requirements for use of police body cameras following voter approval of a ballot initiative.
On Tuesday, voters in the town that became a flashpoint of racial unrest following the fatal police shooting of Michael Brown overwhelmingly approved the body camera measure. It will require officers to have cameras on at virtually all times, require the city to maintain body camera video for at least two years, and make footage from public places widely available.
Ferguson officers have used body cameras since a few weeks after Brown, who was 18, black and unarmed, was killed by a white police officer in 2014. But critics say officers don't always have them on and cite other problems with the current policy.
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10:30 a.m.
The person who's been the public face of Ferguson, Missouri, since the St. Louis suburb was thrust into the spotlight following the fatal police shooting of Michael Brown faces a challenge in his bid for re-election.
Two-term Mayor James Knowles III is opposed by Councilwoman Ella Jones in Tuesday's election. Jones would be Ferguson's first black mayor.
Brown was killed by officer Darren Wilson in August 2014. The shooting of the unarmed, black 18-year-old by the white officer led to months of sometimes violent protests. Wilson was cleared of wrongdoing. He resigned in November 2014.
The investigation led to a U.S. Justice Department lawsuit over racially biased police and court practices. A settlement calls for significant changes.
Ferguson voters also will decide on strict new rules for police body cameras.
