Ferguson under fire: After municipal shakeup, who’s accountable now?

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• HARI SREENIVASAN, PBS NEWSHOUR ANCHOR:

  And in Ferguson, Missouri, the manhunt continues for the suspects who shot and wounded two officers outside the police department on Wednesday. It's just the latest incident of violence since the police shooting of Michael Brown on August 9th.

  This week, following a scathing Justice Department report about racism within the Ferguson Police Department, the city's manager, police chief and municipal judge all resigned their positions with the city. But so far, the mayor of Ferguson, James Knowles, refuses to step down. Knowles says he wants to, quote, "turn the city around", but he also told "USA Today", "I have no executive authority. I have no administrative authority. The charter doesn't allow me to hire, fire or even give direction to city employees."

  Joining us now from St. Louis is Jim Salter of the "Associated Press". He's been covering the story since the beginning.

  So, let's begin with that statement. Is there no one that has any leadership capacity in Ferguson if this is the job description that the mayor says?

• JIM SALTER, ASSOCIATED PRESS:

  There's an acting city manager, the assistant city manager has been promoted to the position now that John Shaw stepped down.

  The mayor is right. He's — in the sense, the mayor of city manager form of government like Ferguson is a ceremonial figurehead. He does run the council meetings but it's a part-time position. He makes about $4,200 a year, and until this whole crisis broke, his role really was to lead city council meetings and to shake hands and to be sort of the face of the city.

• HARI SREENIVASAN:

  So, what's your sense, then, of the tension between different sides over just the past few months, and whether it's gotten worse with what happened just a few days ago?

• JIM SALTER:

  I believe it's gotten better because the city has taken pretty swift action. Six different pretty key figures have left the city, as you mentioned, in the past — really in the past week, including the city manager, the police chief, the municipal court judge, and the municipal court clerk, and two police officers, the other two. You know, there are still people who aren't satisfied. They believe that the mayor should go, that even members of the council should go.

  And the mayor's argument, of course, is he's a part-time ceremonial figure, city council leader, he's really not privy to the information that these people believe he was privy to.

• HARI SREENIVASAN:

  So, at the moment when it comes to law enforcement, who is in charge? Is it the city police? Is it the state police? The county police?

• JIM SALTER:

  Well, in terms of day-to-day law enforcement in Ferguson, it's absolutely the city police. There are certain factions who want the police department to be dissolved. They want St. Louis County to take over or a neighboring community to take over patrol in Ferguson.

  The mayor has been steadfast, in that the citizens of the town do not want that. He believes the citizens want their own police force. They want change, but they don't want another entity to come in and take over.

  Now, in terms of security during the protest, yes, there has been a change. St. Louis County and the Missouri State Highway Patrol have taken over that duty, at least for now, although things were very quiet the past two nights, in fact virtually no protesters last night. But that could change.

  As of right now, Ferguson is running its own police department but it is deferring to St. Louis County and the Highway Patrol for protest duty.

• HARI SREENIVASAN:

  All right. Jim Salter of the "Associated Press", joining us from St. Louis — thanks so much.

• JIM SALTER:

  My pleasure.