JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri appeals court judge was appointed Monday to take over Ferguson's municipal court and make "needed reforms" after a highly critical U.S. Department of Justice report that was prompted by the fatal police shooting of Michael Brown. 
 
 The Missouri Supreme Court said it is assigning state appeals Judge Roy L. Richter to hear all of Ferguson's pending and future municipal court cases. The high court said Richter also will have the authority to overhaul court policies to ensure defendants' rights are respected and to "restore the integrity of the system." 
 
 Ferguson Municipal Judge Ronald J. Brockmeyer resigned Monday, saying through a spokesman that he was stepping down to promote public confidence in the court and help Ferguson "begin its healing process." 
 
 The Ferguson City Council met in closed session Monday evening, but members left without taking questions and a city spokesman didn't disclose the purpose of the meeting. Ferguson City Manager John Shaw was escorted to his vehicle by a police officer without fielding questions, and Mayor James Knowles III declined comment to The Associated Press afterward except to say that the city on Tuesday would begin seeking Brockmeyer's permanent successor. 
 
 Richter will take charge of the court on March 16. The Supreme Court said it also is assigning staff from the state court administrator's office to aid Richter in reviewing Ferguson's municipal court practices. 
 
 "Judge Richter will bring a fresh, disinterested perspective to this court's practices, and he is able and willing to implement needed reforms," Chief Justice Mary Russell said in a written statement. 
 
 "Extraordinary action is warranted in Ferguson, but the Court also is examining reforms that are needed on a statewide basis," Russell added. 
 
 The change comes after the Justice Department released a report last week that cited cases of racial profiling and bigotry by police and chided what it described as a profit-driven municipal court system in the predominantly black St. Louis suburb where Brown, 18, was shot by a white Ferguson police officer on Aug. 9. The shooting prompted protests in the St. Louis area and across the nation. 
 
 A St. Louis County grand jury and the U.S. Justice Department both declined to bring charges against Officer Darren Wilson, who resigned from the department. The Justice Department report said Wilson acted in self-defense when he shot Brown. 
 
 But the Justice Department said Ferguson's police and court systems functioned as a money-making enterprise that heightened tensions among residents. 
 
 The federal report noted that Ferguson was counting on revenues from fines and fees to generate $3.1 million, or nearly one-quarter of its total $13.3 million budget for the 2015 fiscal year. 
 
 Although it was rare for the court to sentence people to jail as a penalty for city code violations, the Justice Department report said the city's court almost always imposes monetary penalties and then issues arrest warrants when people fail to pay on time or miss a court date. As a result, relatively minor violations can — and frequently do — lead to arrests and jail time, the report said. 
 
 The federal report also cited several instances in which Ferguson's municipal judge, court clerk or city prosecutor helped "fix" tickets for colleagues and friends. 
 
 The report cited the forgiven tickets for Ferguson officials as evidence of "a double standard grounded in racial stereotyping." It said Ferguson officials displayed "a striking lack of personal responsibility among themselves" while some nonetheless asserted to federal investigators that the city's African-American residents lacked "personal responsibility." 
 
 Attorney Bert Fulk said in a statement announcing Brockmeyer's resignation that Brockmeyer had been "fair and impartial" as a part-time judge and that the court clerk bore the primary responsibility for the day-to-day operations of the court. 
 
 The city fired court clerk Mary Ann Twitty last week. 
 
 Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon released a written statement Monday praising the "strong and appropriate actions by the Missouri Supreme Court" to overhaul the Ferguson municipal court. 
 
 Monday's appointment of a new Ferguson judge drew mixed reviews among a dozen onlookers at that night's council meeting. Derrick Robinson, a protest organizer, said the move was "letting us know they're hearing our cry, and I think it's a good step in reconstructing Ferguson." Meldon Moffitt, of St. Louis, countered that it wouldn't make anything better, adding "the only way we can clean up Ferguson is to wipe out the police force, wipe out the courts and wipe out the judges." 
 
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 Associated Press writers Jim Suhr and Jim Salter contributed to this report from Ferguson. ||||| Ferguson Mayor James Knowles provided little indication how his city would respond to a scathing Department of Justice report documenting pervasive racial bias in the city’s police department and municipal court system. But he listed several steps the city was already taking to deal with allegations of bias. 
 
 “Today’s report allows the city of Ferguson to identify problems not only in our police department, but in the entire St. Louis region,” Knowles said. “We must do better not only as a city, but as a state, and as a country. We must all work to address issues of racial disparity in all aspects of society.” 
 
 That report concluded that “Ferguson’s law enforcement practices are shaped by the city’s focus on revenue rather than by public safety needs,” and the city’s practices soured relations with black residents in and around the city. 
 
 While Knowles told a standing-room-only group of reporters that city officials discussed the report with federal officials, he did not say whether Ferguson would enter into a consent decree with the department. 
 
 He also didn’t say whether Ferguson Police Chief Tom Jackson, who wasn’t present at the press conference, would keep his job or whether Ferguson city manager John Shaw – who oversees the day-to-day operations of the police department – would be ousted. 
 
 The mayor read from a prepared text and took no questions from reporters. 
 
 Ferguson Mayor James Knowles III's entire press conference. 
 
 The DOJ’s report cited instances where some city officials sent out racist e-mails. Knowles said three officials had been put on leave for investigation and one of them already had been fired. 
 
 “This type of behavior will not be tolerated in the Ferguson Police Department or with any city employee,” Knowles said. 
 
 Knowles listed the changes that Ferguson’s made since Michael Brown was killed, including alterations to the city’s municipal court system and efforts to recruit more minorities to the police force. He also said a task force was working on a plan for a citizen oversight board for police. 
 
 The lack of specifics from the mayor upset some critics of Ferguson’s city government, such as Derrick Robinson. 
 
 “I think that the whole police department either has to be disbanded or be revamped,” Robinson said. “It is evident that we have officers in Ferguson who are not for the community, who have very high issues with the community, and does not even want to work with the community.” 
 
 Ferguson Township Democratic Committeewoman Patricia Bynes wanted to know specifically whether the city would enter into a consent decree with the Department of Justice – not just a recitation of changes the city’s made before the report came out. 
 
 She also wanted city officials held accountable, including Shaw. 
 
 “The only person on the hook should not be Chief Jackson – there’s a lot going on in this city,” Bynes said. “And the person who’s absolutely in charge is the city manager. I was absolutely hoping to hear from the city manager, in addition to the mayor.” 
 
 Former Ferguson Mayor Brian Fletcher –a candidate for city council – also wanted to hear more specifics about what the report means for Ferguson. But he took a different view of the situation than Robinson or Bynes. 
 
 He said he was surprised that Ferguson was the target of the Department of Justice’s ire – and not other municipalities in St. Louis County. 
 
 “One of the things the mayor did say is [the city’s] implemented a lot of programs that were the first in the region,” Fletcher said. “So hopefully, I think some good will come out of this and maybe other departments will implement some of these changes – a citizen’s review board for example.” 
 
 Nixon, Koster and other state elected officials react 
 
 In a statement, Gov. Jay Nixon said the facts "exposed in the Department of Justice’s report on the Ferguson Police Department are deeply disturbing, and demonstrate the urgent need for the reforms I have called for, some of which the General Assembly is now considering, including reforms to municipal courts." 
 
 “Discrimination has no place in our justice system and no place in a democratic society," Nixon said. "All Missourians deserve to be treated with fairness, dignity and respect. That is why I will continue to work to enact policies and legislation that promote greater fairness, equality and inclusion in all our communities.” 
 
 State Sens. Maria Chappelle-Nadal, D-University City, and Jamilah Nasheed, D-St. Louis, said they were "appalled" with the news of the racist emails and other practices from the Ferguson Police Department. The two held a news conference in Jefferson City on Wednesday to announce their support for disbanding the police department and the resignation of Tom Jackson. 
 
 "These are people who are accountable for the safety of our communities and they're making jokes about African-Americans," Chappelle-Nadal said. "This is not Jim Crow, this is institutional racism." 
 
 The senators suggested that another police department should police Ferguson, but it needs to be a department without a history of racial profiling. 
 
 Nasheed said the two will continue to push for legislation to reform law enforcement practices, such as clarifying the use of deadly force. 
 
 "What can we do to rebuild the relationship with community and law enforcement?" Nasheed asked. "I think the first step to building that confidence and bringing back trust within the community and law enforcement – because right now it’s a trust deficit – we must call for the dismantling of the police department." 
 
 Other state and local officials responded to the Department of Justice's reports in mostly supportive way. 
 
 Attorney General Chris Koster, whose office does an annual report on the racial breakdown of traffic stops, sent out a statement to St. Louis Public Radio lamenting how the report “reflects a theme I’ve heard repeated over the past months in countless conversations and meetings: the need for greater understanding and respect between law enforcement officers and the communities they serve.” 
 
 “My office recently issued policy recommendations to the General Assembly resulting from our roundtable on representative policing, aimed at bringing positive change in the policing of our urban communities,” Koster said. "I remain optimistic that positive reforms are possible. My hope is that the Justice Department’s report proves to be a constructive step forward towards positive reforms and a stronger, fairer, and more compassionate Missouri.” 
 
 Secretary of State Jason Kander Tweeted: “The DOJ report confirms that changes must be made in Ferguson. If city leaders don't fix this, the state should.” 
 
 Stenger thanks DOJ for its work 
 
 In a statement, St. Louis County Executive Steve Stenger “thanked the Department of Justice for their work on a comprehensive and informative report.” 
 
 “I truly hope the Ferguson Police Department will address the numerous concerns identified by federal officials during their investigation,” Stenger said. 
 
 Stenger spokesman Cordell Whitlock said that Stenger wasn’t going to speculate whether the report would force Ferguson to dissolve its police department and contract with the St. Louis County Police Department. That process may be difficult, especially if it requires an affirmative vote from the city council and the passage of a citywide referendum. 
 
 “If Ferguson approaches St. Louis County for assistance with policing, the appropriate discussions would take place,” Whitlock said. 
 
 Beyond Ferguson 
 
 One unanswered question from the report is whether the relationship between African Americans and law enforcement will change that much if surrounding police departments don’t have to implement any changes. 
 
 Numerous groups – including the Arch City Defenders and the St. Louis University Law School – have raised alarm about how other St. Louis County cities target black residents. Both of those groups are suing St. Louis County municipalities to try to change how their municipal courts operate. 
 
 The Arch City Defender Twitter account Tweeted on Wednesday that Ferguson “is not alone in abusing warrants for purposes of generating revenues.” St. Louis University law professor Brendan Roediger, one of the attorneys who called for widespread changes to municipal courts, Tweeted on Wednesday: “The municipal court system does not need to be fixed. It is fundamentally and intentionally oppressive. It simply needs to go.” 
 
 In December, Koster expressed concerns that “the level of balkanization, in my personal opinion, is hurting the future prospects of growth in the St. Louis County region and the St. Louis municipal region as a whole.” That was a referencing to how St. Louis County has 90 municipalities, many of which have their own police departments. 
 
 He added that “when you have [dozens of] police departments – many of them being so small -- it is very hard, as we have seen, to keep quality at a level that we expect of our police departments.” 
 
 St. Louis Public Radio reporter Ray Howze contributed information to this report.
– The Missouri Supreme Court is helping with the housecleaning in Ferguson: The court says that to "restore public trust and confidence" in the municipal court division, it's taking the "extraordinary action" of reassigning all municipal court cases to a state appeals court judge, reports the New York Times. Ronald Brockmeyer, the Ferguson judge who doubles up as a prosecutor, resigned from both roles yesterday. The 70-year-old tells the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he doesn't agree with a Justice Dept. report on the biased and "abusive" practices he allegedly played a key role in, including the "creative" use of fines and fees to raise money for the city, "but it's not worth fighting." The top Missouri court says it's assigning Judge Roy L. Richter to hear pending and future cases in Ferguson, and the appeals court judge will also have the power to "restore the integrity of the system" with a revamp of municipal policies, reports the AP. The court says it is also looking at statewide reforms. St. Louis University law professor Brendan Roediger tells the Times that this is the first case he knows of where a state court has taken over an entire municipal docket. "It's a very big deal because it actually is the solution," he says. "It puts the cases in front of full-time professional courts with no conflicts of interest."