Two weeks after reaching a tentative deal with the U.S. Department of Justice on police reforms, officials in Ferguson, Missouri are demanding changes be made to that agreement.
All six members of the Ferguson City Council on Tuesday voted to accept the reform deal, but only on the condition that certain changes be made, the Washington Post reported. Those changes include not requiring pay increases for officers, and changes to deadlines and some fees.
The Justice Department expressed annoyance at the Ferguson officials after Tuesday's vote.
"The Ferguson City Council has attempted to unilaterally amend the negotiated agreement," Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta, of the department's Civil Rights Division, said in a statement. "Their vote to do so creates an unnecessary delay in the essential work to bring constitutional policing to the city, and marks an unfortunate outcome for concerned community members and Ferguson police officers."
Ferguson has faced intense scrutiny since a white police officer shot unarmed black teenager Michael Brown in the summer of 2014. Subsequent investigations found systematic discrimination and bias in the city, which has a long history of racial tensions. A grand jury did not charge the officer, Darren Wilson, in Mr. Brown's death, re-igniting protests that began after the shooting.
The deal Ferguson officials are trying to amend was reached after seven months of negotiations, the Post reported. Ferguson Mayor James Knowles III said they city would work to implement the police reforms quickly.
"Although we did not get everything we wanted in the agreement, we certainly made sure that what was agreed upon can be implemented in a timely and sufficient manner," Mr. Knowles said in a statement.
The deal between Ferguson and the Justice Department is meant to improve relations between police and the community, and ensure that officers are properly trained and supervised, among other things. City officials claim they voted on the changes after residents came forward with concerns about the deal, the Post reported.
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