What is now the city of Ferguson was founded in 1855, when William B. Ferguson deeded 10 acres (4.0 ha) of land to the Wabash Railroad in exchange for a new depot and naming rights.^[8][9] The settlement that sprang up around the depot was called Ferguson Station.^[10] Ferguson was the first railroad station connected directly to St. Louis.^[11]The station is a focal point of the city's history and is depicted on the city flag, designed in 1994.^[12][13]

Ferguson's first schoolhouse was built in 1878. Ferguson was incorporated as a city in 1894

The Mayor of Ferguson is directly elected for a three-year term.^[24] The Ferguson city council is composed of six members.^[25]

James Knowles III was elected mayor for a three-year term in April 2011 and ran unopposed in April 2014.^[26] Voter turnout in the April 2014 mayoral election was approximately 12%.^[25][26]

The Ferguson Police Department is involved with the following public programs: Business Watch, Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), D.A.R.E. Program, Neighborhood Watch, School Resource Officers, and Riot Patrol.^[25]

Ferguson also operates a two-station firehouse with a complement of 18 full-time firefighters as well as nine senior management officials.^[27] The fire stations operate 24 hours a day.^[27]

Ferguson Police Department

On March 4, 2015, the Ferguson Police Department was criticized by the United States Department of Justice for civil rights violations. The Department of Justice argued that the Ferguson Police Department and the City of Ferguson relied on unconstitutional practices in order to balance the city's budget through racially motivated excessive fines and punishments.^[28]

On March 11, 2015, Ferguson Police Chief Thomas Jackson stated he was willing to resign, likely later that day (though no timeframe was confirmed) if he could get assurances that the Ferguson Police Department would be left in place and would not be dissolved; Fox News said he was not pushed out or fired. His resignation followed City Manager John Shaw who resigned March 10, and Municipal Judge Ronald Brockmeyer, who resigned March 9. Shaw had ultimate oversight over the Police Department and other city departments and was the most powerful civic official in Ferguson. He faced criticism for not doing enough to ameliorate the situation. The week before, three Ferguson Police Department employees were fired for offensive emails mentioned in the Justice Department report.^[29]