ST. LOUIS – A federal judge has imposed some limits on what actions police can take during protests in Missouri.
U.S. District Judge Carol Jackson late Thursday granted a temporary restraining order on behalf of protesters involved in demonstrations against the August shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown by Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson.
The ruling applies only to Missouri.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that Jackson’s order requires police to warn crowds of impending use of tear gas and provide “reasonable” time for people to disperse before tear gas is deployed. The ruling does not define what is reasonable, leaving that to police discretion.
Protesters testified Thursday that they were subjected to tear gas with virtually no warning. Police testified that they did what was necessary during often unruly protests.
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