In the wake of a damning report finding widespread racial discrimination in the Ferguson Police Department, officials from the Department of Justice will be traveling to Ferguson over the next few weeks to determine how, exactly, the police will need to be reformed. Homeland security expert Juliette Kayyem joined Boston Public Radio to discuss what they'll have to grapple with when they get there and what their options are moving forward.
"Is this an agency that will be able to reform itself with new training, new outreach?" Kayyem asked. "Or could it possibly go under receivership, could it be disbanded, could it be regionalized, could you have a state agency in charge?"
"Those are the variety of options," she continued. "Definitely with a new police chief, you're able to give Ferguson a little breathing space vis-a-vis what they're going to do with their police department."
Kayyem emphasized that now that the investigation is complete, the emphasis is on how the department can be reformed moving forward—even if that involves drastic measures.
"I think everything is on the table right now for the Justice Department. And that's good," she said.
To hear more from homeland security expert Juliette Kayyem, tune in to her full interview on Boston Public Radio above.
