MO Police to Restrict Use of Tear Gas

Three Missouri law-enforcement agencies agreed Thursday to limit the use of tear gas on crowds as a part of a lawsuit settlement with Ferguson protesters, court records show. Missouri’s state highway patrol, St. Louis County police, and St. Louis police will require officers to provide warnings before using tear gas and allow time for people to leave the area. The police agencies also agreed not to deploy tear gas on lawful protesters and only as a last resort. U.S. District Judge Carol Jackson held her December ruling mandating police provide “reasonable” warning before deploying tear gas, and will supervise the case through the end of 2017. Protesters had sued the agencies for their handling of protests over the death of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown in August.