Holder announces new guidance to law enforcement officers ahead of Ferguson decision

Attorney General Eric Holder announced Friday that the Bureau of Justice Assistance and the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services will provide law enforcement officers with a new guide that will compile information, tools, and best practices to maintain public safety while safeguarding constitutional rights during First Amendment-protected events.

TheJustice Department encourages law enforcement officers in every jurisdiction to work with the communities that they serve to minimize needless confrontation, Holder said.

The announcement was made in a video released Friday morning. Holder didnt mention Ferguson by name in the video, but a grand jury decision on whether to indict Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson for the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown is expected to come within the next few days.

The grand jury is examining whether the Aug. 9 shooting was justified. Potential charges against Wilson could range from first-degree murder to involuntary manslaughter, though many protesters in the St. Louis suburb are anticipating that Wilson will not be indicted.

Over the past few months, weve seen demonstrations and protests that have sought to bring attention to real and significant underlying issues involving police practices, implicit bias and pervasive community distrust, Holder said in the video. In most cases, these demonstrations have been both meaningful and responsible and have brought vital issues to the attention of the public at large.

Similarly, I want toemphasize this, the vast majority of law enforcement officers have honorably defended their fellow citizens engaged in these peaceful protests.

Holder said that peaceful protests have the potential to spark a sustained and positive national dialogue, but cautioned that as weve seen, durable relationships between the police and their communities do not develop overnight.

He also addressed First Amendment demonstrators in his message, saying that the most successful and enduring movements for change are those that adhere to nonaggression and nonviolence. He encouraged demonstrators to act in a way that respects the gravity of their subject matter.

In a new video released Friday, Attorney General Eric Holder announced "a new guide" to help law enforcement officers "maintain public safety while safeguarding constitutional rights during First Amendment-protected events." (Department of Justice)

[This post has been updated.]

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Holder announces new guidance to law enforcement officers ahead of Ferguson decision