Missouri was declared under a state of emergency on Monday by Governor Jay Nixon in anticipation of a possible unrest or violent response on the decision of the Grand Jury on the killing of Michael Brown on August 9.
Protesters call for the Grand Jury decision to charge Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson of the crime against a black teenager. Security measures were tightened as the grand jury gets nearer to the decision after around three months of deliberation.
Governor Nixon orders the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the St. Louis Country Police Department to form a "Unified Command" just in case the decision will trigger violent incidents in St. Louis and Ferguson.
National Guard was also mobilized including reserve officers to be up and ready the moment public safety and civil rights are threatened. Protesters are said to have been brewing a coordinated response the moment the jury's decision sways in favour of Wilson.
On the other hand, The Washington Times reported that Wilson might opt for a resignation depending on the outcome of the grand jury's investigation on Brown's death. It seemed that Wilson would still wait for the results, whether he will be charged of a crime or not.
Although the Governor's move seemed quite unusual, legal experts say that it could be helpful considering the threatening stance of the protesters in the wake of the grand jury's decision. Saint Louis University School of Law Dean and former Missouri Supreme Court Chief Justice Michael Wolff said that, "You've got all these various civil authorities, but they're not in any way a unified command structure," adding further that this might avoid the repetition of mistakes done by the police during the initial protests, which according to him, "showed poor command structure, and poor discipline."
