Public hearing on Ferguson settlement is April 19

ST. LOUIS — The public will get an opportunity to comment on the proposed settlement between the U.S. Department of Justice and the city of Ferguson at a hearing next month.

The hearing will be at 9:30 a.m. April 19 in Courtroom 3 North of the Thomas Eagleton U.S. Courthouse in St. Louis. U.S. District Judge Catherine Perry will preside.

Ferguson has been under Justice Department scrutiny since the fatal police shooting of Michael Brown in August 2014. The shooting raised concerns about police and court treatment of poor and minority residents in the St. Louis County town.

The Ferguson City Council initially rejected the settlement, prompting a lawsuit that was dropped when the council earlier this month changed course and approved it.