U.S. Department Of Justice Turns To Richmond Police Chief To Help Ease Unrest In Ferguson
RICHMOND (KCBS)_ The U.S. Department of Justice has turned to the City of Richmond to help ease the ongoing unrest in Ferguson, Missouri.
A spokesman for the Richmond Police Department told KCBS that Chief Chris Magnus participated in a panel last month in Ferguson, assisting in the ongoing civil rights investigation after unarmed teen Michael Brown was shot to death by police this summer.
Federal officials have asked Magnus to review law enforcement supervision, training, protocols and procedures in St. Louis County, where 18 year-old Brown was shot.
Magnus will return to Ferguson again next month to help complete the panel's report, which is designed— in part— to help local police avoid future deadly force incidents. The panel is also hoping to help heal community wounds in the wake of the shooting.
These are topics Magnus knows well. He became Richmond's Chief of Police in 2006, and has been credited with ushering in a new era in Richmond - one of reduced crime and a better relationship between the police department and residents.