Missouri, where this america tonight special report flashpoint ferguson. We have come to missouri for that reason. This community, the area, the eastern part of the missouri is a flashpoint for conversations about race, the use of police force, and about the ability of a community to rise up and speak for itself. It began with the death last week of an unarmed 18yearold man, Michael Brown, and anger that emerged in the community because a Police Officer used his gun. We have continuing coverage here. We have gone to the command center of the counter event of the local Law Enforcements, the Country Police and the state Highway Patrol. They have gathered and been at work at this location, organising themselves, being prepared for, at any time, possibility of renewed confrontations to break out. It has not been the case. There are protest under way at the hour and have been decidedly nonviolent. There has been no clashes reporteded so far. Protests began with a march from st louiss very popular wellknown gateway arch, the gateway to the west, through the streets where Michael Brown decide last saturday. And to the place where the confrontations and the clashes have taken place. Confrontations that have been so fierce that earlier in this day president obama interrupted his vacation at Marthas Vineyard to talk about the case and the clashes. To urge police caution against force used and to urge the police to be hope and transparent as they continue the investigations. As well we noteother developments, the missouri governor jay nixon visited ferguson and said that the state Highway Patrol would take over security to try to prevent a repeat of clashes much we have seen the officers out in force here at the command center, and as we have noted, these have been orderly protests through this evening, and they are echoed with other nonviolent protests in cities across the country. We note that the aclu, the American Civil Liberties union filed a suit to force the Police Department at ferguson to disclose the name of the officer whose gunshot and killed young Michael Brown. Joining us at this hour is adoll fuss prue it, and works with the state and aacp. I understand that you have been in touch, constant touch, with Michael Browns parents, as late as today. What do they think about the developments and their concerns . They had a chance to meet with the folks from the Justice Department in d. C. , a chance to meet the u. S. Attorney locally, and a lot of folks that have to deal with the situation. I think they feel fairly confident and comfortable that the federal government is moving in the right direction as relates to determining what went wrong and who to hold responsible. And they also had a brief conversation i know, with eric holder. So they are the attorneygeneral of the United States. Yes, i think he gave them some condolences directly. I dont know the content of the conversation. I imagine what he would have told someone at this time of need. So i think they feel comfortable. They are grieving, they are going through what any parent goes through at this point in time. More than anything, they want to see justice done as relates to Michael Brown. You understand, through the n. A. A. C. P. Have been in contact with witnesses and they have come forward. One of the primary focuses is to use the connections within the community to identify it. And a means for those folks who want to do the right thing to get involved. So they have been coming to us. Helping to coordinate and get them in front of the federal party and state authorities to kilt the story. There were three or four coming forward. They were happy. They would hope that the others would do the same. Its puz lipping, because the people have an opportunity to go to the police. If they believed they witnessed something important, why havent they done that directly. I think to some degree a lot of them come out because they saw the fact that Doreen Johnson stepped out. That was the first public witness. They felt if they could do it, others could. A lot nobody wants an upheaval or turning over because they are doing the right thing. They understand as witnesses that there may be people who disagree with the position they are taking and puts them in harms way or turns their lives into an open book. So, you know, a lot of folks dont want to be bothered about it, but they are coming forward. Protests that are underway, hundreds have gone out in the street. They started at the stows arch, and st louis arch and moved through other areas. This has been different than the last few days. What made the difference . The two things. I dont want to take anything from the government, but we met with the chief and us and the Community Affairs department with the Justice Department, and we were able to sit and give them a formula that works, and provide a means for them to protest, give them the space, come up with a plan for marches and allow them to do anything, and become Law Enforcement for the protesters, protect their rights to protest, and you find you have allies versus the enemies. That is happening, and is taking pleas. Things will stay calm. That is a big hope for many at this hour. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you for being here. Thank you. As we have noted. There has been thrashes over the last few days, and a great deal of concern about what is going to happen together and into the weekend, marking the one week anniversary of the Michael Browns death. There has been a number of protests over the last few days, and they have turned violent, significant clashes between the local protesters and Law Enforcement that were out, as you see in the pictures taken over the last couple of nights. This is from last night as well. The local Law Enforcement using both tear gas cannes strs and we are told rubber bullets as well. Using assault rifles in the streets and gaping attention and concern. This case has been already about race, confrontations with Law Enforcement as well as a communitys concern about being able to talk to directly and to speak their mind, to talk to organizations and speak their concerns about what is happening in the community. Over the last day, al jazeeras faultlines correspondent Sebastien Walker has watched closely as developments take place in the community. Seb joins us. What have you seen . The flashpoint last fight was one of the most intense that has taken place over the last few days. I have rarely seen crowd control handled poorly and ipp effectively. We were there in the afternoon. It was peaceful. The Police Wanted the crowd to disperse. They were exercising their right. They stayed their game. Armoured personnel car yours, military police carriers, military police with high powered rifles came on to the scenes, lined up and told the crowd to disappears. It wasnt long ties pers. It disperse. It wasnt long before tensions were heightened. That move by the police made people angry, it wasnt long after that before tear gas cannisters were fired and rubber bullets were fired. We were in the middle of it. The scope was some of the most Intense Police crackdown activity that i have witnessed. We covered the events in the United States and internationally. Internationally as well. It looked like that. Other confrontations we have seen in the world where its usually a military force against the military. Absolutely. The center of ferguson, the main street, was turned into what looked like a war zone. Police are firing tear gas cannisters down the side streets into the communities. This is a crowd that had been, you know, containing women and children and families. People had been out. This community is angry about what is taking place. Actions raised tensions further. Were there warnings given before the tear gas cannisters came out, before the shots were fired. Police told the crowd they wanted them to disappears. They said they didnt want to, they were standing their ground. The key was there was no violence of any kind before the military police were deployed. We didnt see project isles thrown. Did the crowd threaten police or shout anything. Theyd ask the crowd to move, and the crowd obeyed that order. It was an intimidating line of police. There were armoured personnel carriers, these are m wraps used in iraq and afghanistan. It was intimidating for all the demonstrators. From fault lines, seb aft yen walker has been with us. He has done reporting about the militarization of Law Enforcement around this country and will talk specifically in that report about what he has soon, not only in this community but throughout the nation. Different law enforce. Officers, different Law Enforcement units and how they handled the relationships with the community. On another subject there has been concern expressed about the ferguson Police Departments resistance to reporting the name of the officer directly involved in Michael Browns shooting. There has been reports that there was a confrontation between that Police Officer and Michael Brown. But joining us now we are going to talk with america tonights Lori Jane Gliha, who served some social media exchanges putting a lot of pressure on the ferguson Police Department to release the name. The Group Anonymous is known to get involved in situations like this, in small towns where police are not giving information freely or quickly. Weve had a push for the name of the officers that pulled the trigger, and a push for protests without the Police Departments involvement. A bunch of people came together, pushing the situation into the spotlight and did their best to have authorities hold them responsible. Reporter a day after the death of Michael Brown, the hacking Group Anonymous released a video launching operation ferguson. The video urged local residents to protest Michael Browns killing, promising retaliation if police interfere. If you are abused,ar has or harm the protesters, well take assets of your departments and government offline. That is not a threat. It is a promise. Attacking the protesters will result in the release of personal information on every member of the ferguson Police Department. Anonymous is a leaderless network of activists and hackers, coming together what they process to see as violations of civil and human rights. They have Computer Generated voices, threats of hacking and mass character. We are legion, we do not forgive, we do not forget. In the video for operation ferguson, the group is making a demand calling for federal regulation of Police Conduct. We demand that the congressional legislators introduce legislation called Michael Brown law, setting standard for Police Conduct and misbehaviour in the u. S. A. The past week, hackers thought to be affiliated with anonymous launched attacks. The ferguson website was brought down, and the home address of the police chief was posted online, an email bomb was dropped. Dispatch tapes from the day of the shooting were released on wednesday. Reporter anonymous say theyll release pictures, names, address, how do you respond to that . Anonymous has been doing that. All we can do is counter it when we see it. There was a tweet claiming to name the officer that shot brown. The police took to twitter saying the wrong man had been identified, and calling on those responsible for the posting to stop. Ferguson police chief Thomas Jackson at the press conference. Well have a conversation about the release of the name. I guess anonymous put out a name, brian something it is not the name. I have not seen anything else. Are the guys running name after name . Thats probably what they are doing, taking the name of everything and throwing it out there. Twitter has taken down the account, which posted the name. So thats the difference with anop mouse. There is anonymous. Theres no organization. After the tweet came out showing the name had been released a different twitter account with a different anonymous account denied involvement. Anonymous is not an organiser or a leader. Anyone can associate itself with it. Theres no way to vet what is coming out. Anonymous, or some part, or someone claiming to be anonymous is making itself heard, making an impact on the press department. Yes, the st louis confirmed that last night their web systems county wide wopt down, and e went down, and emails went down. They couldnt send out an email thanking people that were helping. They couldnt do that. People have felt the affects. America tonight Lori Jane Gliha in missouri. Thank you. As Lori Jane Gliha noticed a lot of attention has been focussed on the case in the area, but flow Digital Media across the world. We have seen the impact of it. Joining us from our d. C. Studio is al jazeeras the stream host lisa fletcher, who is very plugged into the social media community. This is a community that has rich up to speak itself on what risen up to speak itself. No doubt it has. Social media lit up with images, rehabilitations appearing on facebook and twitter, faster than it was possible to absorb it all. Ferguson has been mentioned in 6 million tweets since saturday. What the world witnessed left people shocked and wondering what is next for ferguson. Gungun [ explosion ] we were standing peacefully and shouting a chant. Police officers said it was no longer peaceful and started to shoot. Tear gas. Since saturday when Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager was shot by a white officer, social media sizeled, residents documented the clashes. Wednesday night was different. Here is the st louis Country Police department advancing their line. We have pulled back a city block and a half. They are firing on to the crowd. They are firing rubber bullets. Reporter the images flooded twitter instagram. Tenses of thousands tuned in. They are attacking reporters, civilians, firing upon the media. They are advancing down the street. Reporter online people were horrified, mesmerised and furious. This was not gaza or iraq or egypt. This was a suburb in missouri. A the Washington Post reporter posted the video of his arrest while working out of a mcdonalds. Stop video taping. Lets grab our stuff and go. And then tweeted the moment he was released. The video of an al jazeera team running from a tear gas cloud was viewed 30,000 times been hours. Its close to their car, very close to their equipment. They were about to do a live shot like we were, we were setting you up in the same neighbourhood. Reporter as camera crews fled for safety, cameras stayed on. Late in the evening antonio french, a local politician, and a prolific chronicler of the protest was arrested. In an Online Campaign to free him, it sprung up within hours, trending cross the country. Pictures spread. As the night calmed, people wondered what would have happened if social media hadnt been there. Well continue to record and bring this to you. Live form ferguson missouri. Ferguson has been the national story, with the president breaking away from the vacation. That may not have happened if hundreds of thousands hadnt seen the images on video and online. All right. Lisa fletcher joining us from the programme the stream. Thank you for being with us in this special edition of america tonight. We want to note that not only are people speaking out through Digital Media, but we hear them on the ground. Maybe in the background you can hear it too. We heard the horns honking through the community, theres a protest under way, a nonviolent protest to this point. We are hearing the horns that are to indicate the support they have for the community, and a continuing investigation into the death of Michael Brown. You are seeing here now the command center, where the local police, both the county as well as the state Highway Patrol have taken off. They are ready for any eventuality. So far we note that things are nonviolent. We do hear the horns in the distance. When we return to the special edition of america tonight, flashpoint ferguson, well look back and try to understand of the events of this week. They have come very quickly. Well look through and find out what happened, why it did, and what brought us to this point in ferguson, missouri. Stay tuned. Thousands calling for their freedom. Its a clear violation of their human rights. We have strongly urged the government to release those journalists. Journalism is not a crime. On tech know, the system is paying attention. Life saving technology. I definitely slowed down as a result. Transforming the way you drive. Maybe crashes wont happen any more. Smart cars of the future. Whoa. I would have driven straight through that. Tech know, every saturday go where science meets humanity. This is some of the best driving ive every done, even though i cant see. Tech know. Were here in the vortex. Only on al jazeera america. Cl welcome back. And thanks for joining us for this america tonight special, flashpoint ferguson, as we talk about this community outside of st louis has become a flashpoint of interest and concern about Law Enforcement, race relation and a communitys ability to speak for itself. Michael butler, you work in st louis, but you are working with the young people here, and they are putting out messages, a lot of messages through social media, trying to express themselves year. Yes, yes. The state representative, my colleagues is an elected official, is under 35 years old. Him and myself and other Young Leaders elected, clergy, Faith Community are giving voice, we are taking them and saying what is your rehabilitation, what is your stand reaction, what is your stand. And giving them the hashtag dont shoot. What are they saying. They are saying that police are the aggressors. The irony is that Michael Brown was walking down the street, preached by a Police Officer, and the Police Officer used heavyhanded tactics. Thats the irony, they walk down the street, Police Approach them, and they fear for their life. Police action has been nothing better, proving their colleagues guilty, that they are not prepared to take care of the community. When you talk about fear in the community, i have to notice you are a young man, a black man working, living in a nearby community, part of this community as well. Do you understand the fear in a porp way. Yes personal way. Yes, and i understand it that if i committed a crime, if i had a gun, if i fired it upon a 1718yearold and killed them, no matter if it was an accident or not, i would be sitting in the cell. Thats what the voice of the youth are feeling, saying treat the officer and murderer the same way you would treat us. You would treat that person guilty before innocent, in handcuffs. They have given the Police Officer a head start to get out of the country on government tax dollars. That is not fair. They would not do that the same. I have to note that theres a Police Investigation under way, although the officers name has not been released. It has been said that hes been released of active street duty. The department that investigation aside, in the broader question about what the Community Needs to bring itself right and unity given the circumstances of the last few days, which has aroused detention and concern, what needs to happen, what is a constructive way to move forward . This community and the government, and the media needs to listen to the youth and the voices that are affected by this more than anything. What they need to do is to spend less money on toys and huge riot gear and spend it on community involvement. We spend millions on the toes. We need to put the money into the community to help the community programs. They cant force crimes. We have to massage it and learn the community. Is there reason to fear young black men. Absolutely not, theres no reason to fear attire with an educational background kauking the street. Michael brown, appreciate you being with us and the work that you are doing with young people in this area. We do want to understand and unravel the events of the last week. There has been many, and they have come quickly, we take a look back at the events that began with the death of young Michael Brown. Reporter it was last saturday afternoon. 18yearold Michael Brown was walking down a street with a friend when he got into an altercation with a local Police Officer. There are conflicting reports about what happened. But in the end, an unarmed black teenager was fatally shot and an officer was involved. Family and eyewitnesses deny claims by the police that there was a physical confrontation, or that the young man attempted to grab the officers gun. He was telling the officer that he was unarmed and he should stop shooting him. Community anger over browns death and longstanding frustration spilt on to the street. Hundreds marched to Police Headquarters demanding answers. They held their hands up, as brown reportedly did, and chanted dont shoot. [ chants ]. Reporter . Reporter that Night Protests turned destructive. There was looting. One business was set on fire. By monday concern over the shooting death was mounting as protests continued throughout the morning. I want to assure you this is a complicated indication. A man lost his life, theres a Police Officer involved in this, and we need to make sure the investigation is done right. The federal bureau of investigation announced it was opening a parallel investigation to the one done by St Louis County Police over allegations of civil rights abuses. And browns parents spoke out in their first press conference. He was my firstborn son. I wish i could have been there to help. He was a good boy. He didnt deserve none of this. We need justice for our son. They asked protesters to be peaceful. As night fell, heavily armoured Police Used Tear Gas to disappears of the ground. On tuesday police announced they would not released name of the officer, after vowing to reveal his identity. That angered protesters further. This is outrage. Prominent Civil Rights Act visit al sharpton joined the demonstrations. On wednesday, a flight restriction was released. And on thursday, the president issued a statement urging gungunat night more protests, and the Police Crackdown continued. There was an officer involved shooting. A man with a shotgun as critically wounded. The next day after 3straight nights of progress. The Ferguson Police chief faced tough questions. The Justice Department announced another investigation, and protesters faced off with county police. This time two journalist were arrested, and al jazeera crew used tear gas. Police were seen to be using protest. This day brought up national attention. The president spoke out. We are part of one mep family. We are united in common values, and that includes belief, equality under the law. Wasnt a right for peaceful protests. Quite a day, quite a week of events following the death of Michael Brown. Well look ahead to the next segment of our special report, when we look back with seb aft yep walker of fault lines, on a report he did about the militarization of Law Enforcement in the United States. Theres a few stories to tell. Well hear more about it after this. jve and welcome back. I am julie chen in missouri, outside of st louis. We turn to flashpoint ferguson. In this area there has been a great deal of concern over the last few days because of protests and protesters in their encounters with Law Enforcements, we are at a command center where Law Enforcement. State county police and Highway Patrol has come together it make sure whatever developments there are are handled in an orderly fashion. That has not been the case for the past few nights. Clashes have been fierce. Rubber bullets and tear gas cannisters have been used to quell protests that have taken place. It is not just here. From Sebastian Walker and al jazeeras faultlines programme, we look at other communities, and what the connection is between Law Enforcement and militarization in those areas. Reporter in the u. S. Today they were tens of thousands of militarystyle police raids every year. Only the worst cases make the news. We have come to investigate one that took place in a rural town just north of los angeles. It scared me so bad. They were so mill tary and huge guns and full gear, huge. They were puffed out. And they looked military to me. Like they were going into a war. Reporter early in the morning on june 27th, armed police from across the country converged on this property pt the warrant said the property was used as an ilmethamphet mean add. The basis was the vetting illegal methamphetamine add. The basis of the warrant was that the officers could smell chemicals. Reporter tonya was in a trailer with her son, her other son was asleep. She heard the police. I said adrian come out. Thats when a guy said contain her. She shoved me into the car and put on the handcuffs on tight. And pushed me into the car. I said my son was there. A thorough search of the property turned up no signs of meth. Despite pleas, the police wouldnt tell tonya what they were looking for. When i asked she said my detective will talk to you. Im protecting the officers. I said from what . Youre the ones with the guns. Reporter tonya was taken to the Police Station and released without charge. It was on her return that she began to realise what had happened. During the raid the armed officers entered the house where tonyas 80yearold husband was sleeping. Guns drawn, six sheriffs deputies made their way towards his bedroom. I came back to the house. It was horrible. There was blood on the bed. It was thick and running down the walkway. There was a lot of it. I was oh, my god. Eugene had been shot six times, five of those were fatal wounds to the chest. The bedding was saturated, pillows were full of blood. It ran all the way down that side. I guess he laid over there and bled to death and decide. Eugene kept two guns next to his bed in latch boxes. The initial report says the officers were confronted by an armed suspect. Reporter so one of the guns was potentially in this. Yes. He didnt have time. Reporter their story is that he was exiting holding a gun and levelled it at the officers. And i think the report says he was killed outside the bedroom as he came out. To confront them. I have blood inside the room, and like i said, if he was walking this way or there, theres no blood in this pathway or the rug. Reporter both eugenes body and gun were moved before investigators reached the scene. Where the body drops, where the gun is, why would you move things. If he shot you, he should have dropped where he was at, the gun in his hand. I dont believe jeans gun was in his hand. I dont believe jeep was where you said. During the raid police found cannabis on the property and tonyas son who holds a medical marijuana licence was arrested. He was charged with possession with intent to supply, a charge denied by the family. Tonya is fighting to clear her familys name and getanswers. This is him at his birthday party. 80 years old. Reporter he doesnt look like a dangerous man. Anyone with authority he was respectful to them, preying them for their job. Hed give them thumbs up, fire department, sheriffs, pat them on the back. Saying what would we do without you guys . You know. He keeps rolling along you and me. Its old man river. The clothes and shoes, i smell him in the bedroom, i dont want to move him. If i take them away, they are gone. I dont want him to be gone. I dont want him to be gone. Lets justify killing an 80yearold man in his house for a little bit of marijuana. Thats the argument, i guess. Reporter what would you say this says about the nature of the way that these raids are carried out. Its not only in our department. Its across the country. We have seen increased militarization. Its like Seal Team Six coming into the residents. Theres no legitimate reason. From faultlines Sebastien Walker joins us here. When we look at the situation, seb, that you have seen over the last day, struck by the fact that the attorneygeneral came out as critical of the overmilitarization of Law Enforcement. Yet, where do the supplies come from. Thats right. A lot of the impetuous for the scenes is the fact that police have the hardware, the militarystyle vehicles, all the militaryprotective gear. A lot comes from the federal government. There has been grants and programs that offload military equipment used by the army in conflict zones, and is arriving in Police Departments. Some of the Police Departments have officers that are not well trained enough to use equipment like that, its highpowered weaponry, its an m rap. Its something that basically soldiers right around in, making sure they are not injured. Its hardly the thing that you would expect to be deployed in a community. That is happening, estimated to be around 500 of those vehicles flooding in to Police Departments across the United States, that have come from places like iraq and afghanistan. Some have been used in battle. This is something happening with frequency. Its not the scoops in ferguson, but other cities across the country. Its a problem much while attorney general eric holder is speaking about this, a lot of the impetus comes from the federal government. Indeed. From faultlines, Sebastian Walker. An interesting report, and you can see more in arming americas police, camming up in faultlines on saturday. 7 00 p. M. Eastern. Join us for that. A key figure in our understanding of Law Enforcement, criminal justice on america tonight is our friend tom morris, investigative crime reporter, joining us from our washington set this hour. Tom, you know, we are truck by what Sebastien Walker reported on the faultlines programme. This weaponry, when we talk about the tear gas cannes terse, these are things that wouldnt be allowed in the Geneva Convention in warfare. This is where it has come to. Police departments are heavily armed and the proliferation of weapons has been an economic boom to a lot of Police Departments. A swat team can generate money for a Police Department. You have highly trained Officers Training most of the time. When they are not training, what do they do. They do war ept searches. We have 50,000 a year in america. Most are for people wanted on minor warrants, drug warrants and they are not in the affluent neighbourhoods. This happens in the upper city, black and hispanic neighbour ads, and poor neighbourhoods. And so tom when departments receive the support, when they receive the equipment, the inclination has to be to use it for something. They generate money, because the asset forfeitures from the drug raids, s. W. A. T. Teams cease property, generating money for jurisdiction. Theres an economy built around swat, and it is instrumental in recruiting people to the Police Department. You watch most of the recruiting video, youll see they sues the swat images of officers battering into homes, jumping off vehicles. Its attractive to young me who want to become Police Officers, like they use special ops, delta force, navy seals, et cetera, to attract young me to join the military, on the thought that if they are good enough theyll make it into the unit. Swat is the same thing for the Police Departments. I have seen Police Departments that i went to 20 years ago that had nothing. And i have gone back and looked at the equipment and couldnt believe it. I was like where did you get all this . And they said 9 11. Tom, morris, criminal Investigative Reporter joining us once again with his insight, helping us to understand Law Enforcement. Not just here, but across the country. There was the confrontation that we have seen over the last few hours, and that was the one that came last night as we saw tear gas cannisters thrown in the street, reports, as well, of rubber bullets, and face offs with journalists reporting from the scene. One of those correspondents was al jazeeras Ashar Quraishi, who was in the loin of fire with his line of fire with his crow, as you see in the crew was you see in the video when a tear gas cannisters wept off. This was disturbing. At this hour Ashar Quraishi is on the streets in ferguson, following up as a protest, a loud one, is under way. Thats right, its a different tone in ferguson. This is the site where most of the unrest has been taking place. Some of the worst rioting and looting that we saw over the weekend after the Fatal Shooting of Michael Brown. Today we are seeing a large crowd. There has been a steady stream of vehicles driving through the area. Its something restricted over the last few days. The crowd is loud, boisterous, but has been peaceful up until this point. We have seen children. Infants in strollers. I saw a young man passing out water bottles, its a different top. What we are not seeing together is a large contingency of Police Officers as we have been reporting. The missouri Highway Patrol has taken over security. We have not seen the tactical units, heavy armoured vehicles, highpowered rifles, keeping abriefed of what is happening abreast of what is going on. We saw a number of police vehicles, s. U. V. S, after a woman fell. They came into the area. It looked like they might get ugly as crowds descended on the officers. But people in the crowd pushed people back, so the officers were act retreat. Nothing happened so far, but its still early. Al jazeeras Ashar Quraishi, reporting from the streets of ferguson, where you hear a loud protest is underway, but a none violent one, as we heard from Ashar Quraishi. Well return to our special report america tonights look at flashpoint ferguson after a break. Please stay with us. Welcome back to our special edition of america tonight, flashpoint ferguson. Law enforcement officers are prepared to make split second decisions every day. More than 3500 Police Stations use recording devices attracting officers. Everything warned by the officers. They have some, but they dont have the money to restore them. They had a first hand look on how it worked. It wasnt long before they ran into trouble. Officer brian haerned ez was one of several units responding to a call wanted in a robbery and an attempted murder. Good. Our cameras were not the only one capturing the action. Each officer wore one of these. Another set of eyes recording everything that happened. I cant talk to my son. Give us a second. Oaklands is one of more than 3500 Police Departments nation wide. They have been taking the place of dashboard cameras, they go where the officers go. They were able to capture individuals, discarding firearms or making incriminating statements. It would have been the officers words, and the lapel camera made it clear. They are investigating any crime or the participation of an encounter. They are supposed to activate it. How has the lapel camera affected the job. They had the video to back up the word. Great. How are you doing, man . Can we have your drivers licence. Licence is suspended. What happens to the video after its recorded by the lapel camera. At the end of the fist, he or she plugs it into a terminal its. It cant be deleted. Our techknow correspondent lindsay joins us. What did you see on the ride along . I saw how these lapel cameras offer a layer of protection for the Police Officer and the person interacting with the officer. That is the camera doesnt lie. Unlike a witness or potentially a Police Officer, everything that happiness is recorded, and interestingly the aclu has come out in favour of these body cameras. Theres an issue of privacy. Their feeling is that its better to have some video footage than none at all. That sa better assurance that is a better assurance of protecting peoples civil liberties. Hopefully it is deterring incidents, making people accountable. Its like everyone is on the best behaviour when the camera is on. According to a controlled study, ever since Police Officers have started to wear the body cameras, use of force incidents dropped by 60 , and field complaints against Police Officers dropped by almost 90 . They said the aclu was supporting it. They dont have a privacy concern. There is a privacy concern. As i said, the feeling is that its better to have some video that none at all. The Oakland Group that i rode along with, one of the reasons that they started using them was for situations like ferguson. All right. It will show the interaction between Police Officers and anyone they interact with. Whether an arrest or routine traffic stop. Stereo thank you. Thursday, on the stream. Well explore how the community will move forward. Youll hear first hand accounts from the residents. Well return to joey in ferguson after the break. Stick around. Appear al jazeera america. We understand that every news story begins and ends with people. The efforts are focused on rescuing stranded residents. We pursue that story beyond the headline, pass the spokesperson, to the streets. Thousands of riot Police Deployed across the capital. We put all of our Global Resources behind every story. It is a scene of utter devastation. And follow it no matter where it leads all the way to you. Al jazeera america, take a new look at news. Welcome back. We wrap up the hour, our coverage of flashpoint ferguson, a place we came to out of concern certain, after the flashes, and confront dayses that have taken place after the death of an unarmed young man on the streets. Appreciate you being with us. Protests continue in ferguson, as president obama preaches calm. Could major challenges in police plan quell tensions. Signs hamas may make didnt concessions in peace talks. Im antonio mora, welcome to consider this, those stories and more straight ahead. Escalating tensions unleashed by police sot