Final decision lies with police board
St. Louis County Council on Tuesday night declared no confidence in the county’s embattled police chief, Mary Barton, just a year after she was promoted to the position by the St. Louis County Board of Police Commissioners.
Councilwoman Rita Heard Days brought the resolution to her fellow council members, that stated Barton has “fumbled her way through the position of chief” and has not worked to build bridges between the Black community and the police department.
Those who voted in favor of the resolution were Democratic councilwomen Days, Kelli Dunaway, Shalonda Webb and Lisa Clancy. Those who voted against the resolution were Republican councilmen Tim Fitch, Mark Harder and Ernie Trakas.
Days sent a memo about the resolution the same day the Ethical Society of Police, the Black police union in the region,held a press conference outside St. Louis County Police headquarters discussing their board’s unanimous vote of no confidence in Chief Mary Barton, who was chosen as the department’s next police chief in March 2020.
During the public comment period Tuesday night, local criminal justice activist Rev. Darryl Gray and Cassandra Butler addressed the issues.
Gray repeated the views he expressed at the ESOP event.
“You understand that the council has oversight of the police budget and why would you be committed to allowing this chief to have oversight over a budget when we believe that she has not conducted proper oversight over the police department,” Gray said. “It is our belief that Chief Barton is ill-equipped to lead, that she is insensitive to the particular racial concerns among our officers and the impact that her actions and inactions have on the African American community.”
Butler expressed she was disheartened in what she described as a “seemingly unfair selection” of Barton to become police chief last year.
“Leadership in our society’s major police forces matter, possibly more now than any other point in our county’s history,” she said. “We have shown many signs in that organization, though, of sputtering, of being mismanaged, particularly regarding police culture and its mission of being a service to the entire community. Now is not the time to be satisfied with the status quo.”
Both votes come as the department transferred Office Shanette Hall from her human resources role of recruiting officers — including minority officers — to a patrol position in a different precinct. This came a day after a Vice video was published in which Hall is shown as one of three Black female officers talking about the culture of policing in the country.
Even though Days’ resolution was adopted, the chief will not be removed from her position. This is because while the council oversees the police budget, the Board of Police Commissioners is in charge of personnel matters including hiring and firing.
The board is made up of five community members, appointed by County Executive Dr. Sam Page and confirmed by the council. On Monday, Page announced the newest member appointed — Brian Ashworth.
Before the vote, several councilmembers spoke on the issue, including Webb. She replaced Councilwoman Rochelle Walton Gray, District 4, in January.
“We have to have accountability — and yes, this does not all land at the feet of Chief Barton,” she said. “We always say the buck stops with the head, right? If no one else is going to provide accountability, then we must let our leaders know that we are serious about accountability and change.”
Clancy said she wanted to be clear in her support of the resolution.
“The problems did not begin with Chief Barton and they don’t end with Chief Barton,” she said, adding they need a transformational leader to meet this moment.
Trakas said he did not support the resolution because he believes the council is beginning to weaponize the resolution process to target individuals.
Fitch, who was the former police chief for St. Louis County from 2009 to 2014, said an attack on “a brand-new police chief with a steep learning curve” is not the way to approach the situation.
Barton released a statement regarding the resolution before the meeting Tuesday night.
“Personnel changes are not made in retaliation,” she wrote. “Placing our staff in roles where they utilize their skills and contribute to the success of our community and department is a strategic plan and does not always result in making everyone happy. Most chiefs of police do not win popularity contests. For almost a year, some people have refused to accept the fact that I was appointed as the chief of police. Despite that, I will continue to serve in the best interest of the St. Louis County Police Department, all its employees and the citizens of St. Louis County.”
