Police plan for possibility of more protests in Baton Rouge

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Police are preparing for the possibility of more protests in Baton Rouge once the Justice Department finishes investigating the shooting death of a black man by police this summer.

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards hosted a meeting Monday of law-enforcement officials, community activists and religious leaders to discuss efforts to improve relations between police and the public following Alton Sterling’s fatal shooting in July.

Edwards said his office doesn’t know when the Justice Department will conclude its investigation of Sterling’s shooting or whether it could result in any criminal charges.

Baton Rouge Police Chief Carl Dabadie Jr. said police won’t allow any protests to turn violent but will respond “as least aggressively as we can.”

In July, police arrested nearly 200 people at Baton Rouge protests.