It has been an undeniably tough year for embattled St. Louis County Police Chief Mary Barton. As Saturday marked her first full year in the position, she reflected on the past months – and what she wants to accomplish in the coming year.
She told the St. Louis American her highest priority is addressing the racial divide and racism within the department, issues that have defined the first year.
Last June, less than three months into her tenure as chief, Barton faced public criticism for telling the St. Louis County Council she did not believe systemic racism existed within her department.
“I think to say that there’s systemic racism in the police department is overly broad and probably not accurate,” she said during that meeting.
On Friday, Barton said that her comments at the meeting were repeatedly misquoted and misinterpreted.
“I never said there was no systemic racism here. I followed up by saying there is racism here and sexism and other problems,” she said.
“And I think that that misquote, or that misinterpretation, has been repeated over and over and over again. Do I believe there is a racial divide in this police department? I absolutely believe that and there’s racism everywhere, okay?”
Barton said she believes there are huge differences in the definitions people assign to systemic racism.
“And until you’re speaking with the same definition, I think it’s hard to put a label on it or to say it’s true or it’s not true,” the chief said.
“But I would say this, there is definitely a racial problem in this police department, and I have never denied that, or I’ve never said that wasn’t true.”
Ethical Society of Police (ESOP) President Sgt. Donnell Walters said he believes the phrase does in fact have a clear, widely agreed upon definition.
“’It’s too broad of a statement’ — I’ve never heard that before, except for when someone doesn’t want to take ownership of what is clearly there,” Walters said.
In more recent events, Barton maintained that the transfer of Officer Shanette Hall was not in retaliation for an interview about police culture Hall gave to Vice for a video. It was published the day before she was unexpectedly transferred.
Hall, who is a Black woman and president of ESOP’s County chapter, was reassigned from her human resources role recruiting officers to a patrol position in a different precinct with a predominately white staff. ESOP claimed it was in retaliation to the interview.
But Barton said she has been transferred 12 times throughout the course of her career and that it’s a normal part of the job — that officers are transferred to meet the best needs of the police department.
Walters said the transfer did not make sense, citing the department’s reasoning that they were taking recruiting efforts “in a different direction.”
“After they transferred Shanette Hall out of that position, then they posted the position for other officers to apply,” he said. “Which is kind of strange to me that, if you’re going into a different direction, you would already have someone in place ready to go in that direction,” he said.
After Hall’s transfer, ESOP’s board voted and declared no confidence in Barton. Just a few days later, so did the St. Louis County Council.
Barton said she continues to maintain her professional relationship with the Council but noted she would have preferred they talk to her about issues rather than “publicly clearing the air.”
Their respective votes came several months after the chief’s brother-in-law, who was a St. Louis County police dispatcher, used a racial slur on the police radio. He was “immediately removed from the radio and relieved of duty.”
In addition, at least two police contract instructors for the St. Louis County and Municipal Police Academy have been fired for allegedly using racially disparaging language since Barton took over.
“We’ve engaged in a new training program at the police academy to speak specifically about race and its effect on the officers and the professional staff here in the police department,” Barton said.
For Joe Patterson, executive director for the St. Louis County Police Association, it’s the lack of communication surrounding these instances that have shaken the union’s confidence in Barton.
“We honestly didn’t know how she was dealing with [the incidents],” he said.
“As little communication involving these options, there were an email or two sent out, but we’ve always felt that Chief Barton is not very visible in the media and does not communicate well internally with the police department.”
Walters echoed that criticism, noting that while putting an end to racism within the department is not solely her responsibility, the process does start with her.
“It is a collective effort, no it’s not solely her responsibility, but as a commander, you have to set precedent. As a commander, you have to – within the policies and procedures of the agency — you have to address it immediately,” he said.
Barton said her top priority in the next year is to address the racism within the department while rebuilding the department’s relationship with the community.
“It’s been a tough year for everybody and I’m hoping as we would forward into the next year that things improve,” she said. “And I just want to say that the officers here, although the world kind of closed down for a year, still had to go out, go ahead and do their job and they did it with grace and professionalism — very much so. And I couldn’t be prouder of them or be prouder to be their chief.”