Government Services
A city in crisis
In August 2014, Ferguson, Missouri was the site of a days-long series of protests and civil unrest following the killing of Michael Brown by Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson.
Soon thereafter, the Department of Justice (DOJ) Civil Rights Division opened an investigation into the police department and the city’s municipal court. In 2016, DOJ and the City of Ferguson entered into a settlement agreement intended to ensure protection of the constitutional and other legal rights of the entire Ferguson community. The consent decree called for the appointment of an Independent Monitor to guide implementation of the agreement’s court-ordered reforms. Natashia Tidwell leads a team of Hogan Lovells lawyers and external consultants in overseeing the City’s progress where public scrutiny is ongoing despite the passage of time given national attention on issues of police brutality and racism.