Last week, the city of St. Louis announced Robert Tracy as its selection for the new chief of police. Tracy hails from Wilmington, Delaware where he served as police chief for around five years.
Donnell Walters, president of the Ethical Society of Police (ESOP), told KMOX that he hopes the new chief will listen to the residents of St. Louis and understand the city's needs.
"I think that when you have an outside chief, there's the disadvantage of being on an island by himself. You know, he has to pretty much learn the city, he has to learn its residents, you also have to learn the department," Walters said. "And so at times, that can be difficult. We don't know how long it's going to take, or we have needs and things that need to be done right away."
The ESOP has called for transparency in the selection process of law enforcement leaders — but they say this process wasn't exactly transparent.
"We had no input. And in this process, we were never told of who the candidates were," Walters said. "So that, you know, background, or — I don't want to say background checks, but just, you know, getting information to the citizens so they can ask questions, and they can get answers to who the next chief is going to be."
Walters said that ESOP agrees that there is a need for more police officers — however, he thinks law enforcement should shift its mindset.
"We need to be thought about as citizens and not as a profession," he said.
Walters added that the ESOP was surprised by the salary announced for incoming Chief Tracy: $275,000, thanks to an annual donation from the St. Louis Police Foundation.
"It came as a shock. And overall a lot of people, including our civilian employees, felt insulted," Walters said. "They felt insulted, because it's like here we are doing the work every day. And we're not even considered as far as the increase in pay."
Hear more from ESOP President Donnell Walters on KMOX:
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