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WASHINGTON — The St. Louis County Police Department, which came under heavy criticism for what some called a “militarized” response to protests in Ferguson last year, is obsessed with its SWAT team and places too much emphasis on tactical skills over community policing, according to an independent outside review.
The review by the Police Foundation, conducted on behalf of the Justice Department’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, found problems in the recruitment process which hurt diversity in the agency, failures in their training process and a lack of investment in community policing strategies.
The 182-page report also finds a “pattern of light discipline in investigations involving ethical failings and untruthfulness” in the St. Louis County Police Department’s disciplinary process, and finds that the reputation of the police department was hurt by the actions of the dozens of small police departments in St. Louis County.
Department employees told members of the independent assessment team analyzing the St. Louis County Police Department that those who aren’t “TAC/SWAT guys” are less likely to be promoted. The numbers back that up: While just 6.8 percent of commissioned officers had experience with the SWAT team, over 25 percent of those who were promoted had TAC/SWAT experience.
COPS Director Ronald Davis told reporters on Friday that the department also needed a “much more in-depth assessment” of the racial disparities in their vehicle stop statistics. He added that the St. Louis County Police Department was starting on a “very solid foundation” to build upon by implementing the recommended changes, and that it could become a “national model.”
