article_snippet: The millions of dollars in fines and fees paid by black residents served an ultimate goal of satisfying "revenue rather than public safety needs," the U.S. Justice Department found.
article_snippet: Why is it that all the people in court are black?"
article_snippet: The Justice Department's report details how Ferguson operated a vertically integrated system -- from street cop to court clerk to judge to city administration to city council -- to raise revenue for the city budget through increased ticketing and fining.
article_snippet: Ferguson's budget increases were so sizable that city officials exhorted police and court staff to levy more and more fines and tickets against violators, who turned out to be largely African-American, The Justice Department said.
article_snippet: Indeed, Ferguson enjoyed so much success in issuing tickets and fines that Ferguson, population 21,000, was ranked in the top eight of the 80 municipal courts in St. Louis County by having more than $1 million in revenue in 2010, The Justice Department's report said.
article_snippet: When Ferguson court revenues exceeded $2 million in 2012, Ferguson responded to the police chief in an internal email:
article_snippet: Even municipal judges were pressured to boost revenue.
article_snippet: St. Louis County has made clear to the police chief and the municipal judge that revenue generation must also be a priority in court operations," the federal investigation found.
article_snippet: The city finance director said in a 2011 report that the municipal judge had been successful since 2003 in increasing court collections, and that internal 2011 city report noted a judge's statement that "none of these changes could have taken place without the cooperation of the court clerk, the chief of police, and the prosecutor's office," the Justice Department investigation found.
article_snippet: Cash filled the city treasury.
article_snippet: By 2013, revenue from enforcing municipal codes reached $2.46 million, The Justice Department's report said.
article_snippet: City, police and court officials for years have worked in concert to maximize revenue at every stage of the enforcement process, beginning with how fines and fine enforcement processes are established," The Justice Department's report said.
article_snippet: Ferguson Mayor James Knowles said municipal judges have created a docket for alleged offenders having trouble paying fines.
article_snippet: Also, a defendant may ask a judge or prosecutor about different payment plans or alternative sentencing, Ferguson Mayor James Knowles said.
article_snippet: City Attorney also passed an ordinance last September to cap municipal court revenues at 15% of City Attorney's overall budget, Ferguson Mayor James Knowles said.