Editing Ferguson, Missouri (section)

==Government==
[[File:Norfolk Southern Train 285 Runs past Ferguson Train Station.JPG|thumb|A train rolls past the former [[Wabash Railroad|Wabash]] station (now an ice cream parlor) in Ferguson.]]

The [[Mayor]] of Ferguson is [[Direct election|directly elected]] for a three-year term.<ref name=noco>{{cite news |first=Shannon |last=Howard |title=Election Day brings new leadership to NoCo |url=http://nocostl.com/2011/04/election-day-brings-new-leadership-to-noco/ |work=[[North St. Louis County Online|NOCO]] |date=April 6, 2014 |access-date=August 19, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140820105140/http://nocostl.com/2011/04/election-day-brings-new-leadership-to-noco/ |archive-date=August 20, 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The Ferguson
[[Local government in the United States#City councils|city council]] is composed of six members.<ref name=nytimes/>

[[James Knowles III]] was elected mayor for a three-year term in April 2011 and ran unopposed in April 2014.<ref name="stlouisco.com"/> [[Voter turnout]] in the April 2014 mayoral election was approximately 12%.<ref name=nytimes>{{cite news |first=Tanzina |last=Vega |author-link=Tanzina Vega |title=Deep Tensions Rise to Surface After Ferguson Shooting |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/17/us/ferguson-mo-complex-racial-history-runs-deep-most-tensions-have-to-do-police-force.html?_r=0 |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=August 14, 2014 |access-date=August 19, 2014 |archive-date=August 18, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140818205109/http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/17/us/ferguson-mo-complex-racial-history-runs-deep-most-tensions-have-to-do-police-force.html?_r=0 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="stlouisco.com">{{cite web |url=https://www.stlouisco.com/portals/8/docs/document%20library/elections/eresults/el140408/M031.HTM |title=St. Louis County Election Results April 2014 |publisher=stlouisco.com |access-date=September 15, 2014 |archive-date=September 22, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140922170237/http://www.stlouisco.com/portals/8/docs/document%20library/elections/eresults/el140408/M031.HTM |url-status=live }}</ref> In June 2020, [[Ella Jones]] (D) became the first African American and first woman to be elected mayor of Ferguson.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/ella-jones-becomes-the-first-african-american-and-first-woman-elected-mayor-of-ferguson/article_4fcddeed-9586-571c-b88a-bbcae3c71f70.html |title=Ferguson picks Ella Jones as first African American and first woman mayor |date=June 3, 2020 |access-date=June 3, 2020 |archive-date=June 3, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200603032832/https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/ella-jones-becomes-the-first-african-american-and-first-woman-elected-mayor-of-ferguson/article_4fcddeed-9586-571c-b88a-bbcae3c71f70.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

The [[Ferguson Police Department (Missouri)|Ferguson Police Department]] is involved with the following public programs: Business Watch, Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), [[Drug Abuse Resistance Education|D.A.R.E.]] Program, [[Neighborhood Watch]], [[school resource officer|School Resource Officer]]s, and Riot Patrol.<ref name=nytimes/>

Ferguson also operates a two-station fire department with a complement of 18 full-time firefighters as well as nine senior management officials.<ref name="fergusoncity.com">{{cite web |url=https://www.fergusoncity.com/90/Fire-Department |title=Fire Department - Ferguson, MO - Official Website |website=www.fergusoncity.com |access-date=April 1, 2018 |archive-date=August 9, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240809035705/https://www.fergusoncity.com/90/Fire-Department |url-status=live }}</ref> The fire stations operate 24 hours a day.<ref name="fergusoncity.com"/>

===Ferguson Police Department===
On March 4, 2015, the Ferguson Police Department was criticized by the [[United States Department of Justice]] for civil rights violations. The Department of Justice argued that the Ferguson Police Department and the City of Ferguson relied on unconstitutional practices in order to balance the city's budget through racially motivated excessive fines and punishments.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Apuzzo |first1=Matt |title=Ferguson Police Routinely Violate Rights of Blacks, Justice Dept. Finds |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/04/us/justice-department-finds-pattern-of-police-bias-and-excessive-force-in-ferguson.html |access-date=March 4, 2015 |work=The New York Times |date=March 3, 2015 |archive-date=March 3, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150303220058/http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/04/us/justice-department-finds-pattern-of-police-bias-and-excessive-force-in-ferguson.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

On March 11, 2015, Ferguson Police Chief Thomas Jackson stated he was willing to resign, likely later that day (though no timeframe was confirmed) if he could get assurances that the Ferguson Police Department would be left in place and would not be dissolved; [[Fox News]] said he was not pushed out or fired. His resignation followed City Manager John Shaw who resigned March 10, and Municipal Judge [[Ronald Brockmeyer]], who resigned March 9. Shaw had ultimate oversight over the Police Department and other city departments and was the most powerful civic official in Ferguson. He faced criticism for not doing enough to ameliorate the situation. The week before, three Ferguson Police Department employees were fired for offensive emails mentioned in the Justice Department report.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/ferguson-police-chief-to-resign-later-wednesday-fox-news/ar-AA9Ejh4 |title=Ferguson police chief resigns after scathing Justice Dept. report |work=msn.com |access-date=February 20, 2020 |archive-date=August 10, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170810171404/http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/ferguson-police-chief-to-resign-later-wednesday-fox-news/ar-AA9Ejh4 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Ferguson Fire Department===
The Ferguson Fire Department is a [[Full-time job|Career fire department]] and provides 24/7 fire and emergency medical services to the City of Ferguson. The Department hosts one frontline [[Fire engine#Conventional fire engine|Rescue Pumpers]] and one [[Fire engine#Turntable ladder|Turntable Ladder]] across two stations, one in the Northeast of the City (Station No. 2) and one in the City Center (Station No. 1) neighboring the Police Department and Municipal Courts building. The current Station No. 1 was built in 2015, prior the Department's Station No. 1 was housed out of an extension of the City Hall on Church Street, during this time the Department's Ladder was too large to fit into the station bay and was usually kept outside in the rear parking lot, this extension is now home to FYI Backbay, a Youth Organization.

The Department also served the City of Kinloch when the Kinloch Fire Protection District's sole Pumper was unavailable up until 2021 when the District added a second Pumper into their fleet.