Officers in Ferguson and Across the Country Preparing for Violence

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Summary: Police officers across the country are preparing for the potential for violence when the St. Louis County grand jury issues its ruling in the Michael Brown case.

Police officials in Ferguson, Missouri are preparing for potential violence on Monday as a grand jury decision is due in the Michael Brown shooting case, according to Fox News.

  

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The shooting occurred in August when Brown was unarmed and shot by a white police officer.

To read more stories about the Michael Brown shooting, click here.

The incident happened on August 9 when Officer Darren Wilson ordered Brown and a friend to stop walking in the street. Wilson then shot and killed Brown. A St. Louis County grand jury has been meeting since August 20 to determine if charges should or should not be filed against Wilson.

The county and surrounding areas are preparing for the possibility that the grand jury does not indict Wilson.

“We are bracing for that possibility. That is what many people are expecting. The entire community is going to be upset,” said Jose Chavez, 46, a leader of the Latinos en Axion community group.

Preparations are also taking place in cities across the country, including Boston, where Lt. Michael McCarthy said, “It’s definitely on our radar. Common sense tells you the timeline is getting close. We’re just trying to prepare in case something does step off, so we are ready to go with it.”

Officials in Los Angeles are also monitoring the situation after going through the same thing back in 1992 when the officers who beat Rodney King were acquitted.

To read more stories about Rodney King, click here.

“Naturally, we always pay attention,” said Commander Andrew Smith, a police spokesman. “We saw what happened when there were protests over there and how oftentimes protests spill from one part of the country to another.”

In Philadelphia, Lt. John Stanford said the city is preparing for protests no matter the outcome of the grand jury.

Boston’s McCarthy said that the officers in the city have dealt with crowd issues in the past, including fans celebrating in the streets after sports championships and the Occupy movement.

To read more stories about Occupy, click here.

“The good thing is that our relationships here with the community are much better than they are around the world,” he said. “People look to us as a model. Boston is not Ferguson.”

Will the St. Louis County grand jury indict Officer Darren Wilson? Use our poll to share your thoughts.

Image credit: Wikimedia Commons