Justice For All: Police Reform
From the commission: "The signature priorities in this section address four key areas the Commission believes merit urgent attention: use of force, police training, civilian review, and response to demonstration. Our primary goal in addressing these priorities is the preservation of and respect for human life in every situation a community faces. Ultimately, we hope to have communities, citizens, and police all be safer and treated fairly."
Prioritize here:
Drag the Ferguson Commission's Signature Recommendations from the other box to this one, and put them in the order of what you think the priorities should be. Then click "Done" to see how your choices compare with other readers'.
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Justice For All: Police Reform Signature Recommendations
Assign Attorney General As Special Prosecutor in Use of Force Cases
The Attorney General shall serve as the special prosecutor in all cases of police use of force resulting in death, officer-involved shootings resulting in injury or death, or in-custody deaths.
Accountable body(ies): County Prosecutors and Office of Attorney GeneralAssign Missouri Highway Patrol to Investigate Use of Force
The Missouri Highway Patrol shall be the default agency to create a task force with the requisite training and expertise that would be responsible for leading the criminal investigation in all cases of police use of force resulting in death, officer-involved shootings resulting in injury or death, or in-custody deaths. In cases where the Missouri Highway Patrol is the agency involved in a case of police use of force resulting in death, an appearance of a conflict of interest, an officer-involved shooting resulting in injury or death, or an in-custody death, the Attorney General shall be permitted to exercise his or her discretion to select members of non-involved law enforcement agencies to lead the investigation.
Accountable body(ies): Local Governments, Municipal Police Departments, Municipal Legislature, State Highway PatrolUpdate Use of Force Statute for Fleeing Suspects
Update use of force statute to reflect the United States Supreme Court decision Tennessee v. Garner, which states that, under the Fourth Amendment, a law enforcement officer pursuing a fleeing suspect may not use deadly force to prevent escape unless “the officer has probable cause to believe that the suspect poses a significant threat of death or serious physical injury to the officer or others.”
Accountable body(ies): Missouri Legislature, GovernorEstablish Use of Force Database
Direct the state of Missouri to establish a statewide database on critical use of force statistics in order to improve department operations, state policy, and the public at large. The database must be publicly available, and in keeping with current sunshine laws, ensure a degree of anonymity that would not identify specific officers’ involved. All police departments across the state shall be compelled to provide requested information. Proposed information would include: [The following language is based on IACP model policy]:
- A complaint log;
- A central file for complaints in a secured area and in conformity with records retention requirements of state law;
- A regular audit of complaints to ascertain the need for changes in training or policy;
- Use of force metrics identified in consultation with law enforcement officials and researchers
- Statistical or related information to identify trends involving all complaints of excessive force and abusive authority;
Revise Use of Force Policies and Training
Direct police departments across the state to revise their policies and training on use of force to authorize only the minimal amount of force necessary:
- To protect citizen and officer safety,
- That is proportional to the incident,
- That brings an unlawful situation safely and effectively under control, and
- That preserves the constitutional and human rights of the citizen.
Include Social Interaction training in POST
POST shall ensure that basic police officer training includes lessons to improve social interaction as well as tactical skills. Topics shall include critical thinking, social intelligence, implicit bias, fair and impartial policing, historical trauma, and other topics that address capacity to build trust and legitimacy in diverse communities and offer better skills for gaining compliance without the use of physical force. (Adapted from Recommendation 5.7 of Presidential Task Force on 21st Century Policing report)
Accountable body(ies): POST (Peace Officer Standards and Training) program, Department Executives, All law enforcement associations statewide, law enforcement agencies statewide, IACP (International Association of Chiefs of Police), CALEA (Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies)Increase Police Training Hours
St. Louis area police departments shall develop and mandate tactical, wellness, and anti-bias training each year consisting of an additional 24 hours per year for a total of 72 hours in a three-year reporting period.
Accountable body(ies): St. Louis Area Police Departments, POST, Missouri LegislatureInclude Implicit Bias and Cultural Responsiveness Training in POST
POST shall ensure both basic recruit and in-service training incorporates content around recognizing and confronting implicit bias and cultural responsiveness.
- This shall occur with the assistance of advocacy groups that represent the viewpoints of communities that have adversarial relationships with law enforcement.
- Law enforcement agencies statewide shall implement training for officers that cover policies for interactions with the LGBTQ population, including issues such as determining gender identity for arrest placement; the Muslim, Arab, and South Asian communities; and immigrant or non-English speaking groups, as well as reinforcing policies for the prevention of sexual misconduct and harassment.
Consolidate Police Training Centers
St. Louis City and County shall combine their resources to create a single regional police training center that will offer basic, in-service, and advanced training for all police officers in the City and County, in line with Ferguson Commission proposed and approved training standards. (Adapted from PERF Report’s Recommendation #1)
Accountable body(ies): St. Louis City and St. Louis County leadership, County Board of Police Commissioners, County CouncilCreate Civilian Review Boards at the Municipal Level
Municipalities (community organizations, municipal governments) shall establish independent civilian oversight boards designed to meet the unique needs of each municipality. In addition, independent civilian oversight boards shall have the power to review non-confidential police data and engage in regular meetings with police upper management to advise them on policies and practices. The purpose of the board shall be to identify any administrative, supervisory, training, tactical, or policy issues that need to be addressed in light of incidents or events that may occur.
Accountable body(ies): Missouri General Assembly, Governor, St. Louis County Executive, Municipal governments, Community OrganizationsCreate Civilian Review Boards at the County Level
Counties across the state should establish independent civilian oversight boards designed to manage municipal oversight boards and civilian investigations particularly when local efforts cannot sufficiently address incidents under review. In addition, these independent investigative boards shall align with the following characteristics for effectiveness:
- Able and authorized to investigate potential criminal wrongdoing by officers and to make recommendations for prosecutions that are then evaluated by special prosecutors;
- Provided with a sufficient budget;
- Able and authorized to issue subpoenas and search warrants; and
- Provided with a well-defined jurisdiction and mandate
Develop a Comprehensive Demonstration Response Plan
Direct County and City Governments across the state to differentiate emergency and demonstration approaches by consulting with community members, community organizers and law enforcement officials to design a publicly available Demonstration Response Plan that:
- First prioritizes the preservation of human life and adheres to the principles of community policing, guardianship, and the protection of human and constitutional rights (Adapted from Rules of Engagement);
- Designates traditionally credentialed media as press only and not demonstrators, allowing them to perform their constitutional duties freely without threat of arrest;
- Recognizes the incendiary nature of the arrest of news media and clearly designated legal observers, and will refrain from arrest unless they interfere with police activities;
- Modifies the code 1000/2000 protocol in the case of demonstration activity such that, when a demonstration exceeds the capacity of a municipal police department to respond, the Saint Louis County Police Department shall serve as the primary line of command and, through mutual aid agreements, will determine how municipalities will assist in non-demonstration functions. It should be noted that the Saint Louis County Police Department shall fulfill this role in accordance with the preservation of human life and the principles of community policing, guardianship, and the protection of human and constitutional rights; and
- Directs police departments across the state to revise their policies and training on use of force to authorize only the minimal amount of force that is proportional to the incident, brings an unlawful situation safely and effectively under control, and preserves the constitutional and human rights of the citizen.
