O’Fallon, Mo. (AP) — A group comprised largely of Black police officers has urged St. Louis County’s police chief to address long-standing racial concerns within the department.
The Ethical Society of Police, which was founded in 1972 to address racial bias, represents about 300 officers in the county and the city of St. Louis. In a Monday letter to the county’s police chief, Mary Barton, it said it has waited since Barton became chief in April for evidence that she would take action to address racism within the department.
“We have waited far too long for action. We are exhausted. How much longer must we wait?” the group asked.
Barton drew criticism in June when she told the St. Louis County Council that “to say there’s systemic racism in the police department is overly broad and probably not accurate.”
In a statement, Barton said department leaders have been in discussions with ESOP, the St. Louis County Police Association, and the police department’s diversity and inclusion staff.
“Improvement is a shared effort and we will not stop until we have a workplace that is equitable and just for all,” she said.
The society urged the department to take several actions aimed at addressing racism, including a survey of officers, a series of town hall-style meetings, and mandatory anti-racism training.
In February, the county reached a $10.25 million discrimination legal settlement with Keith Wildhaber, a gay police lieutenant who was passed over for promotion 23 times. Wildhaber now leads the department’s diversity and inclusion unit.
Since that settlement, a Black lieutenant colonel and two Black lieutenants have alleged racial discrimination and retaliation, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.
In its letter, the society also urged the department to hire more Black officers. Black people make up about a quarter of the county’s nearly 1 million residents but just 10% of the 963 commissioned officers.