(Bloomberg View)
The Justice Department report released Wednesday on police practices in Ferguson, Missouri, makes agonizing reading -- and not only because of its careful documentation of both patterns and specific instances of racial discrimination by law enforcement in that troubled city. An important subtext is that many of the problems stem from a decision made by politicians to treat the police department as a cash cow.
The Justice Department's conclusion on the matter is right at the top of the second page of the report: “Ferguson’s law enforcement practices are shaped by the City’s focus on revenue rather than by public safety needs.” This emphasis, in turn, has contributed to the city’s “pattern of unconstitutional policing.”
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