Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster’s roundtable on representative policing delved into the challenges of low minority participation in the state’s urban law enforcement agencies.
“We are all familiar with the challenge that the Ferguson Police Department has seen in this regard,” Koster said.
The Ferguson Police Department – comprised of three black police officers out of 53 – does not reflect the majority-black community it serves.
Koster said low minority participation in law enforcement is a widespread problem throughout the state. That problem has added to breakdowns in communication and trust between law enforcement and the community. He said he hopes to put “attention and resources” on this problem.
Koster sought advice from an esteemed panel of community leaders in government, law enforcement and education on how the city can best move forward. Of the panelists, several have been on the frontlines in Ferguson. They included: St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar, St. Louis City Police Chief Sam Dotson, Missouri State Highway Patrol Capt. Ron Johnson, 21st Ward Alderman Antonio French and 14th District Senator Maria Chappelle-Nadal.
“I’m trying to synthesize good thoughts to take back to the governor in Jefferson City and policy makers at the state Capitol,” Koster said.
The forum was held Wednesday, October 1 at the University of Missouri-St. Louis and was the first of two public sessions. It was planned in the weeks following the fatal shooting of unarmed teen Michael Brown by Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson. Koster said conversations about race can be “challenging” and “messy,” but are necessary.
“It is much better to have the conversation and risk the messiness than not to have the conversation,” he said.
Regarding representative policing, Koster spoke of a school to law enforcement pipeline that would incorporate mentoring opportunities for youth, particularly minority youth. He said his office is ready to launch a “Big Brothers, Big Sisters” of law enforcement, “using the ‘Big Brothers, Big Sisters’ idea in the high schools to encourage people to go through the community college programs.”
There are 20 two-year community colleges throughout the state with law enforcement curriculums. Other topics he said he hoped to address before the next general assembly included licensing police departments and Missouri’s use of force statute.
Panelists were given three minutes each and were encouraged to speak off-topic. State Senator Jamilah Nasheed of the 5th District took a back-end approach. Nasheed addressed law enforcement’s lack of community engagement, stating that people needed to see law enforcement out on the street. She said the city has a “massive problem” with gang activity and that the gang task force unit needed to be restored.
“If we want to solve the problem with crime, than we have to look at how we ‘embrace’ those gang members,” she said.
She said education is another key to reducing crime.
“Those individuals wreaking havoc on our communities, nine times out of ten, have dropped out of the system,” she said. “We have to do a better job of education our young folk.”
She also said a lack of job opportunities breed poverty and is a direct correlation to crime. Both County Executive Charlie Dooley and Senator Chappelle-Nadal spoke about the importance of bridging gaps, a process Chappelle-Nadal said could take years.
Dooley said America is a divided country and that the focus should be on race relations throughout the country, not just the St. Louis metropolitan area. He said African-American young men in this country are under attack. He said it is about training, sensitivity, respect and teaching black men how to respond to policing.
Chappelle-Nadal said it is not a black issue, but rather an institutional issue that has allowed officers to intimidate and harass people. She said a lot of healing has to take place.
“I will be a partner,” she said, “but not when my constituents are hog-tied and not when the Muslim groups that are out protesting are punched in the face repeatedly.”
Koster’s second roundtable on representative policing will took place on October 14 in Kansas City, Missouri.
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