Now that the unrest in Ferguson apparently has subsided, the bills soon will come due.

For two weeks, law enforcement agencies from those in small cities all the way to the Missouri Highway Patrol and the state's National Guard sent officers and tactical equipment to the small suburban town. From gas masks to overtime, the costs are being tallied.

Generally it's still too early to quantify exactly what the total public cost will be for the extra law enforcement since Michael Brown was fatally shot Aug. 9th but no one doubts it's well into the millions.

The state has budgeted $3.455 million this year to pay expenses that any state agency incurred during an emergency declared by the governor, in addition to $4 million for emergency duties of the Missouri National Guard.

State Budget Director Linda Luebbering said none of that money has yet been allocated, but that Gov. Jay Nixon's decision to declare an emergency and call in the Missouri National Guard means some yet-undetermined amount will be. She said it will likely be the first week of September before the amount is set.

The National Guard spent more than a week providing security in Ferguson, but its role was limited to protecting a command center run by the Highway Patrol, the agency Nixon asked to take control of law enforcement in Ferguson after rioting broke out.

Highway Patrol Capt. Ronald S. Johnson announced Wednesday that the command center had been dismantled but that state troopers and county officers will keep a reduced presence along West Florissant Avenue, surrounding neighborhoods and the Canfield Green apartments, where Brown was fatally shot.

St. Louis County so far has spent about $1 million in police overtime responding to Ferguson, Chief Operating Officer Garry Earls said. That amount includes about $100,000 a day for the first nine days after the shooting.

He said the county incurred many other expenses, most of which were still being tallied, for food, equipment, streets work, fuel costs and other emergency services.

"All this workforce out there had to be fed," he said. "We used up all of our tear gas and pepper spray."

He said county police experienced equipment losses, and he expects worker's compensation claims from officers injured during the rioting.

Earls said the county and other municipalities hope the state will defray at least some of their costs.

"If this was a storm, the FEMA folks would have shown up already," he said, referring to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. "We are searching for the FEMA equivalent (regarding) civil unrest. We're certainly going to ask the state for that."

In addition, the county plans to spend up to $1 million to provide support to residents who need help because of the unrest, looting and vandalism in Ferguson and neighboring communities.

That money will be used to help fund and staff a drop-in center for residents in Ferguson, Dellwood and Jennings at the Dellwood Recreation Center, officials have said. The county will work with nonprofit agencies to provide staffing as well as transportation for residents to the center; advice on how to get utility assistance; legal assistance; counseling; and other services. Other aid will include help removing debris left by protesters.

"The residents there need a break, and any support we can provide to help the community heal and get back on its feet should be provided," County Executive Charlie Dooley said last week. "It's the humane thing to do."

St. Louis Police Chief Sam Dotson said Wednesday that his department spent $740,849 for additional manpower and overtime of officers working 12-hour shifts in Ferguson. He said his department spent an additional $161,783 on equipment such as gas masks and shields for officers.

"We will be sending the bill to the state of Missouri," Dotson said.

Most of St. Louis County's 57 police agencies sent in officers, many on overtime, during the roughly two-week ordeal. And help came from beyond the county, as well.

SWAT teams responded that consisted of roughly 30 officers from various departments in the region, some of them getting paid time-and-a-half, according to Lt. Dave Tiefenbrunn of the St. Charles County Sheriff's Department.

The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office sent 16 officers to Ferguson for two 12-hour shifts, at a cost of roughly $15,500 in overtime pay, said Capt. Ron Arnhart. They also took the department's armored vehicle there. That money came from the sheriff's office budget.

Nicholas J.C. Pistor, Leah Thorsen, Susan Weich, Joel Currier and Samantha Liss, all of the Post-Dispatch, contributed to this report.

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/bills-for-extra-law-enforcement-for-ferguson-coming-due/article_8ada1a79-fc18-509b-884e-4932b8d9a613.html


What a shame.

no lidding, I have worked overtime before and wasn't provided food,,,,

40 bucks an hour?

but this too will pass,, if they found funds for the gear and equipment they used,, they will come up with funds for their tactical decisions about how many to send and for how long and to provide food,,etc,,,,

Look for your taxes to increase.

Of course, most of the looters and rioters won't be taxed. They'll be subsidized.

Regarding the overtime: They were working 13 hour shifts with no days off.

Those funds are our money.

The article left something out. When police officers were sent to help the Ferguson police, the officers left behind had to work overtime too.

Two kids I know complained that their fathers weren't home anymore because of that.

Sad to say.
Y'all either have to get used to the rise in crime, pay more taxes or move to a nicer part of the country.

My kid's school newspaper sent this out today. I x'd out a couple of names.

Ferguson Food Drive

Today, Wednesday, August 27, 2014- Mr. xxxxxx announced that xxxxx High School would be collecting food for a Church in North County. Since all the riots and looting has happened some people have been unable to go to work, which means that some people have run out of food. All of the food pantries available in Ferguson are out of food. So xxxxxx High School will be collecting cans in the library Thursday, August 28, 2014 through Thursday, September 4, 2014. Don’t forget to buy some cans to donate!

That sounds about right.

Willing, I'm in the area but I'm around 20 miles away from the riots.

its a nice gesture, especially if its voluntary,,,

It will pass,,,

if people moved everytime there was a riot or crime or property damage in America,, hardly anyone would live near college towns,, or concert arenas,,lol

Easy to say if one doesn't pay property taxes.

Oh, expect your homeowners insurance to go sky high, Ms Winx.

Got me thinking, Ms Winx.

How much of that food and other assistance will wind up in the hands of the looters and rioters?

They should sue that Thug Johnson for spreading the multiple lies that caused the rioting.

yeah, cause EVERYBODY in college town are homeowners, and few people RENT,,,,

like I said, if isolated riots and looting caused people to move , few people would live in college towns or near sports stadiums,,,

That's what I was thinking.

In today's "anti-racist" (but actually racist) political climate, I doubt this will happen.

But its the right thing to do.

He said that Brown was shot in the back. He was really VERY clear about stating his memory of seeing the evidence for that shot.

He told this whole, lengthy story that made this innocent police officer to be some kind of hateful monster - trying to smash them with his car door, pull Brown in through the window by his throat, yelling and cursing, getting angry without cause, immediately going for his own gun, shooting Brown in the back, and the alleged execution style killing, etc etc.

His story telling was a huge factor influencing those riots.

the country has never not been 'racist',, its politics are certainly not 'anti racist' all of a sudden

he said Brown was struck in the back while running away because he JERKED

autopsy confirmed a wound on the elbow that could have grazed him and turned him around

I hope my insurance won't go sky high. I'm not Ferguson so hopefully it won't happen.

Yes, there's a chance the looters and rioters could get assistance too.

MsHarmony, Johnson told around 3 versions of what happened. He's not reliable, IMO. The one you're mentioning can't be true. No bullets hit Brown in the back.

I don't have the quotss of whatever these versions were

the one I HEARD him say was that there was a shot that hit him while he was running, he assumed because he saw Brown jerk while they were running away and before he turned back around

, and the autopsy does indeed end up being consistent with that,, with a possible graze on his elbow


even without his testimony, thare are other witnesses that back up his account of Brown running and then turning and being gunned down,,,,

This is about the bills and who has to pay for the damage the animals did.

Every property owner and every property owner with homeowners insurance in the county, I believe, it's St Louis County will have to pay for what a bunch of idiots did.

Some here haven't a clue.

Sad thing. Even if many are caught and prosecuted, the county will have to keep supplementing the ferals.

yep and sad that some of the 'ferals' continue to walk around looking for justification to make people targets for homicide or inhumane treatment,,,,