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Ferguson Commission Meets
Community, Law Enforcement, Commission Develop
Proposed Model for Law Enforcement Training Standards
Community and law enforcement leaders came together with members of the Ferguson Commission Thursday, April 30, to endorse a baseline model for improved law enforcement training standards in Missouri. The model calls for an additional 24 hours each per three-year period in the areas of tactical, anti-bias and officer wellness training for a total of 120 additional hours of police training. The model came out of the Ferguson Commission Citizen-Law Enforcement working group and was developed in consultation with key community, law enforcement and subject matter experts.
“We urge local law enforcement agencies to implement these new baseline training models with expediency, but there is still greater work ahead,” said Brittany Packnett, Executive Director of Teach For America in St. Louis, who serves as a Commissioner and as co-chair of the Citizen-Law Enforcement Relations working group. “This model addresses only three of the nine focus areas identified by our working group thus far, and is not yet comprehensive. We have much more to explore, including issues of accountability and oversight, before we are truly making progress toward justice and equity for all in our region.”
“The twenty-first century presents unique policing challenges and expectations. By providing training opportunities to officers, we are giving them the tools and understanding to enable fair and just policing, ultimately better serving citizens,” said St. Louis Police Chief Sam Dotson. “Through additional training, the department will foster positive interactions with the citizens we are sworn to protect and serve, making our city a safer community for all.”
“It’s proven that tactical training reduces use of force incidents,” said Dan Isom, professor of policing and community at the University of Missouri-St. Louis and co-chair of the Citizen-Law Enforcement Relations working group. “A greater understanding and appreciation of diversity – including race but also age, gender, sexual orientation, sexual identification and mental health status – through anti-bias training will help officers process threats through different lens. An emphasis on the mental and physical well being of our officers will have a positive impact on their ability to protect and serve. We appreciate the chiefs who are supporting the notion of increased training in these key areas and urge that they consider paths to adoption.”
“This training model is the result of input from law enforcement officers, community members and members of our Citizen-Law Enforcement Relations working group,” said Rich McClure, Ferguson Commission co-chair. “We are appreciative of those who have and will stand with us in agreement that increased tactical, anti-bias and officer wellness training is a key step toward our shared goal of enabling law enforcement agencies to serve and protect all citizens based on principles of trust, mutual respect, transparency, cultural competence and justice. This model is a prime example of the work we can do as a community when we come to the table to work through our challenges together.”
“Recent cases of police violence and communal responses have raised the stakes and the bar for police training and accountability,” noted the Rev. Starsky D. Wilson, president and CEO of Deaconess Foundation and co-chair of the Ferguson Commission. “I am grateful for the work of Commissioners Isom and Packnett and pleased the entire Commission came together to call on the Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission, our new Director of Public Safety and Governor Nixon to enact policy to increase the quantity and quality of officer preparation and wellness. Today, we welcome the voluntary commitments of leading departments in the region and call on all police departments in the St. Louis region to follow suit.”
The next Citizen-Law Enforcement working group meeting will be Monday, May 4 at 4 p.m. at the J.C. Penney Conference Center on the UMSL North campus. The Ferguson Commission’s next full meeting will be Monday, May 11 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at the St. Louis Gateway Classic Sports Foundation, 2012 Dr. Martin Luther King Dr. All full Commission and working group meeting dates and times can be found on the Commission website stlpositivechange.org.
