Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2025
Publication
Washington University Journal of Law & Policy
Volume
78
Abbreviation
Wash. U. J.L. & Pol'y
First Page
81
Abstract
This Essay reflects on the significance of the Investigation of the Ferguson Police Department by the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice (“Ferguson Report”). The Ferguson Report is a valuable teaching tool for criminal procedure because it documents detailed cases of police misconduct. But it also reveals how many deeply intrusive and over-reaching policing practices are not, in fact, unconstitutional. Reading the Report offers a window into how the law can enable misconduct, and it reveals how little opportunity the community affected had to create change.