“Ferguson is not seen as a watershed moment for us to change what we are doing in terms of use of force.”

That's what Lt. Brian Marshall said as The Atlanta Journal-Constitution asked a dozen local police agencies whether recent policing controversies around the country, including in Baltimore and Ferguson, Mo., have or should spur changes in policy and procedure.

Some departments say they are responding — moving forward on employing body cameras, among other things — but several local departments asserted that they are largely getting it right and that police are being scapegoated.

Marshall works for the Marietta Police Department, recognized as one of the best agencies at community outreach by President Obama’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing.

He said Ferguson's real lesson was about improving community relations.

Read the complete story, with more perspectives, on how metro police agencies interpret the ongoing debate on use of force

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Rose Scott signals as Closer Look goes on air in the WABE studio. An Atlanta resident left WABE a $3 million donation, a boost after WABE lost $1.9 million in annual funding from the Corporation of Public Broadcasting. (Ben Gray / AJC file)

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