The massive police response in Ferguson, Missouri, following the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown so far has cost taxpayers $5.7 million, a local news report has revealed.
Expenses incurred by the Missouri State Highway Patrol, including trooper and civilian overtime, lodging, meals and equipment, will cost $1.1 million from the time protests erupted Aug. 9 to the last few days of August, a local CBS affiliate reported.
Activating the National Guard during that time will cost the state an additional $384,000. And costs to St. Louis County, including police overtime, public property damage, food and supplies for first responders will be an another $4.2 million, the station reported.
“This will have an impact on future budgets,” said County Chief Operating Officer Garry Earls. “It won’t have an impact on the current year services, but we’ll have to find a way to replace these dollars either by reimbursements from the state and federal government or by reducing services in the future from some of the things we already do.”
St. Louis and Ferguson officials have not yet finalized the expenses of their responses, and the unrest in the area has all but settled. It is unclear at this time what impact the crisis will have on the county’s budget. An earlier report from the same CBS affiliate said Mr. Earls declared $1 million would go toward the people who live in Ferguson, but it was unclear to what capacity.
• Jessica Chasmar can be reached at jchasmar@washingtontimes.com.
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