Justice Department Won't Charge Ferguson Cop

The US Justice Department has concluded there is no evidence to bring civil rights charges against Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson.

In a widely expected decision, federal officials said there was nothing to disprove the policeman's testimony that he feared for his safety when he opened fire on Michael Brown.

They also found no reliable evidence that the unarmed black 18-year-old had his hands up when he was shot on 9 August 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri.

A parallel Justice Department investigation of Ferguson police and court staff found "substantial evidence of racial bias", including offensive emails.

Wilson said the teen hit him in the face and reached for his gun during a tussle after he asked him to stop jaywalking.

The officer was cleared by a Missouri grand jury in November and later resigned from the department.

The report reads: "Because Wilson did not act with the requisite criminal intent, it cannot be proven beyond reasonable doubt to a jury that he violated (Michael Brown's civil rights) when he fired his weapon at Brown.

"For the reasons set forth above, this matter lacks prosecutive merit and should be closed."

In the protests against police brutality that swept the nation after the shooting, "hands up don't shoot" became a rallying cry.

But the Justice Department findings said witness accounts that the teen had his hands up were "inaccurate", "inconsistent" and not credible.

Michael Brown's parents said they were disappointed no charges would be brought over their son's death, but encouraged by the findings against the police department.

"It is our hope that through this action, true change will come not only in Ferguson, but around the country," they said in a statement.

A separate Justice Department investigation found black people in Ferguson were subjected to excessive police force, baseless traffic stops and citations for minor infractions such as jaywalking.

US Attorney General Eric Holder said the findings against the police department were "searing".

He demanded "immediate, wholesale and structural corrective action".

The report said city officials routinely urged police to generate revenue through enforcement actions against the town's mostly black population.

Black people were 68% less likely to have their cases dismissed by a municipal court judge.

Ferguson Mayor James Knowles said three police department employees were responsible for offensive emails detailed in the report.

All were put on administrative leave pending a probe and one has since been fired, he said.

Two emails depicted President Barack Obama as a chimpanzee and said he would not be re-elected because "what black man holds a steady job for four years".

An October 2011 email had a photo of half-naked, dancing tribal women with the caption, "Michelle Obama's High School Reunion".

Another email joked about an abortion by an African-American woman being a means of crime control.

The Justice Department issued more than two dozen recommendations to improve the police department and court system.

These include training officers to de-escalate confrontations and better oversight of its recruiting, hiring and promotion procedures.