With thousands of residents in the City of Jennings, Lt. Jeffrey Fuesting has observed that only a small portion attend his “Coffee with the Commander” events. Fuesting, with St. Louis County police, is Commander of the Jennings Detail.
In 2011, the Jennings City Council voted to dissolve its own police department and contract with county police. Qualifying Jennings officers were hired by the county. Since then, Fuesting reports that crime is down and relations between police and the community have improved. One reason for that change, he said, is events like “Coffee with the Commander.”
Once a month, he and a few officers meet with a diverse group of residents and city officials for one-on-one and group dialogue. They meet early on Saturdays at the McDonalds located at 8983 Jennings Station Road. The most recent event was held on Saturday, December 13.
“We have an open dialogue about what they think about their police department, what we can do better, and what we’re doing right,” Fuesting said. “Now more than ever is the time for us to come together and have serious discussions about what’s going on.”
For about an hour over a free cup of coffee, they discuss crime trends, hot spot policing, and address community concerns including those relating to recent events in nearby Ferguson. Former Jennings School Board Member David Green attended a recent town hall at Jennings High School where he heard “disturbing” youth accounts about their encounters with police and said he fears for his sons.
“We may have our own Michael Brown situation right here in Jennings,” Green said.
Brown, an unarmed teen, was shot and killed on August 9 by then Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson – who previously had served in Jennings before the city dissolved its force.
Fuesting spent a considerable amount of time recapping a meeting three St. Louis County police officers had with Jennings students and staff on December 11. Some 80 students and 10 staff members, including Jennings School District Superintendent Tiffany Anderson, marched from Jennings Senior High School to the city’s police department. Anderson said the march was one way to take the classroom civics lesson to the streets.
At the police station, students presented a list of demands that included increasing the department’s minority hiring and body camera use by November 2015. Fuesting said the department has taken a strong stance to increase its minority hiring, adding how crucial it is for officers to reflect the communities they serve.
Fuesting said minorities hold two of six supervisory roles and account for 20 percent of commissioned officers in Jennings. African-American commissioned officers form 14.3 percent of the Jennings command. In the 2010 Census, Jennings’ population was 86 percent black.
Minorities account for nearly 13 percent of commissioned officers in the St. Louis County Police Department overall.
Fuesting said St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar plans to outfit all uniformed officers with body cameras, stating that the department is currently seeking out a vendor.
Fuesting said he plans to meet with students within the district once a month – it’s an opportunity for students to voice their concerns. And he wants his officers patrolling the Jennings to do same.
“We’re going to break those barriers and build that trust,” he said.
Fuesting hopes more youth will attend his public events. Most of those in attendance on December 13 were older, with more whites than blacks. A steady stream of young black men and women filed past the group seated inside the lobby – none joined the group.
One way Fuesting hopes to reel them in is through the fourth annual Teen Leadership Academy, beginning January 6 for youth in seventh grade through high school. Over the course of 12 weeks, youth will learn what it takes to work in law enforcement. They will receive mentorship, gain leadership skills, take a field trip to the police academy, and investigate a mock car crash involving a drunk driver.
For information on the Teen Leadership Academy, call Officer Andrew Dacey at 314-679-2135 or visit http://stlouisco.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/teen-registration-form-2.pdf.
Follow this reporter on Twitter: @BridjesONeil.
