JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — As a grand jury weighs possible criminal charges against the white police officer who fatally shot Michael Brown, Missouri’s governor has again activated the National Guard in an effort to avoid more unrest in the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson.

Unlike in August, when Gov. Jay Nixon asked the troops to help quell the sometimes violent protests that had occurred nightly following the black 18-year-old’s death, his latest move is preemptive, coming ahead of any decision on whether Ferguson Officer Darren Wilson will be indicted.

There also are some operational differences this time. When Nixon last declared a state of emergency, he put the Missouri State Highway Patrol in charge of a unified local police command and later activated the National Guard to provide security around the command center.

Nixon said the St. Louis County Police Department would be in charge of security in Ferguson after the grand jury decision and would work with the Highway Patrol and St. Louis city police as part of a unified command to “protect civil rights and ensure public safety” in other jurisdictions.

“My hope and expectation is that peace will prevail,” Nixon said Monday. “But we have a responsibility — I have a responsibility — to plan for any contingencies that might arise.”

The Times Record Sustaining Sponsor
We believe a community must be informed to thrive. bowdoin.edu