The city’s black police officers association plans to file a complaint with the Civilian Oversight Board about “corruption, racism and cronyism” in the police department, and it intends to use the city’s new whistleblower law to shield officers from retaliation.
While the group represents about 250 mostly black officers and civilians, not all of the officers who will join them in the complaint will be people of color, Heather Taylor, president of the Ethical Society of Police (ESOP), said at a press conference Tuesday, February 14.
“Racial disparities exist with promotions, discipline, transfers – they exist,” Taylor said. “However, things morale-wise are so bad now that any officer is up to be the next person to face discipline that’s not justified – no matter what race you are or gender you are.”
A St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department spokesperson said that Chief Sam Dotson “takes all allegations seriously and is committed to working with the organization to address their concerns” in an email statement.
This month, the Board of Aldermen passed a whistleblower law, which outlines protections for city employees who report information about improper government action and penalties for any city employee who engages in retaliation. Taylor said a number of officers will join her in filing a complaint to the Civilian Oversight Board, which formed almost one year ago to review complaints against police and department policies.
Taylor said that many officers – black and white – are questioning the department’s internal investigations.
“The SLMPD isn’t capable of policing itself internally,” she said. “The [Civilian Oversight Board] has the ability to recommend changes and policy. These are civilians. I believe what they can do for our department.”
In July, ESOP gave a 112-page evaluation of the police department to aldermen, the mayor and some administrators. The report shows that black officers represent 34 percent of the force and about 24 percent of commanders, as of data compiled on February 15, 2016.
“Cronyism, favoritism, and other biases have continued under Chief Dotson’s leadership, but have existed for decades under various leaders within SLMPD,” the report states.
Some internal practices and the Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiated by the St. Louis Police Officers Association have also played into excluding qualified officers in promotions, the report states. The gravest disparities exist regarding discipline, according to the report, which details several cases where black officers allegedly were disciplined more severely than white officers for lesser offenses.
“Chief Dotson and his command staff is committed to a workplace free from harassment, discrimination or racial disparity and will continue their efforts to foster such an environment,” the department stated. “The Ethical Society of Police is invited to sit down with Chief Dotson and his command staff to discuss their concerns.”
ESOP has questioned the department’s treatment of Ryan Cousins, the former police commander of the department’s Sixth District.
Last February, Cousins was told he was being investigated for an incident when a man’s home had been broken into, according to several sources close to Cousins. The owner used a gun to protect himself from the intruders, which is not illegal. But the man was not supposed to be in possession of a gun because he was a convicted felon. When Cousins arrived, the homeowner was in handcuffs. Cousins told other officers to release him because he wanted to talk to him, sources said.
This incident is the only point of misconduct that Cousins was told he is being investigated for, according to sources.
“The criteria that the city uses for putting someone on unpaid leave is whether they are a danger to themselves, other officers or the department,” said Lynette Petruska, Cousins’ attorney, at a May 2016 press conference. “Going into a home and telling people that the victim of a crime should be treated like a victim and not like a criminal is not something that warrants forced leave.”
Cousins has been off the force since May 2016.
Taylor encouraged people to ask Dotson why he chose to go public with allegations against Cousins and other African-American officers but he doesn’t with other cases.
At the press conference, Taylor was initially unable to approach the microphone because she was overwhelmed with emotion.
“You can see the kind of pressure our officers are under” when they speak out, said Redditt Hudson, a former officer in the department and member of National Coalition of Law Enforcement Officers for Justice. “The position that she’s in – in terms of retaliation that has been directed at her by those who are in power – that’s the kind of toll it can take on good officers.”
