Public comment on the St. Louis County Police Department Use of Force Policy
Recently, FTF submitted a public comment that was addressed to the SLCPD Chief of Police, Colonel Mary Barton, concerning SLCPD’s use of force policy. Read it below.
TO: Colonel Mary Barton
Chief of Police, St. Louis County Police Department
RE: Public comment on SLCPD Use of Force Policy
Thank you for providing space for the community to weigh in on the use-of-force policy that officers of the St. Louis County Police Department abide by and operate under. Reforming use-of-force was a Signature Priority in the Ferguson Commission Report. While reforming use of force policy is good for harm reduction, it does not absolve the County government from investing in holistic public safety measures, including direct accountability for police misconduct and violence, moving away from the arrest/incarcerate model, and investing in community health to mitigate the root causes of violence.
Historical and recent political unrest due to police brutality and well-documented disproportionality in use of force against Black and Latinx civilians prove that police departments need to redouble their efforts to reduce use of force against civilians. Forming use-of-force policies that protect the life and rights of both the police officer and the civilian, equally, is essential.
The St. Louis County Police Department’s use-of-force policy should be updated to require officers to:
Restrict officers from using deadly force unless all reasonable alternatives have been exhausted.
- Recommended language: “The primary duty of all police officers is to preserve human life. Only the minimal amount of force necessary to protect life or to effect an arrest should be used by an officer. Excessive force and/or gratuitous use of any force will not be tolerated. Officers should exercise all safe and reasonable means of control and containment, using only the amount of force necessary to overcome resistance.” (Taken from Philadelphia PD Policy)
Use minimum amount of force to apprehend a subject, with specific guidelines for the types of force and tools authorized for a given level of resistance.
- Recommended language: “It is the policy of [the St. Louis County Police Department] to accomplish the police mission with the cooperation of the public and as effectively as possible, and with minimal reliance upon the use of physical force.” (Taken from Seattle PD Policy)
Utilize de-escalation tactics (verbalization; creating distance, time and space; tactical repositioning, etc.) whenever possible instead of using force.
- Recommended language: Please see the “When Safe under the Totality of Circumstances and Time and Circumstances Permit, Officers Shall Use De-Escalation Tactics in Order to Reduce the Need for Force” section in the Seattle PD Policy.
Carry a less-lethal weapon.
- Recommended language: “Uniformed Officers Are Required to Carry at Least One Less-Lethal Tool” (Taken from Seattle PD Policy)
Ban using force on a person for talking back or as punishment for running away.
- Recommended language: “[Officers shall] not use force against persons who only verbally confront them.” (Taken from Cleveland PD Policy)
Ban chokeholds, strangleholds (i.e. carotid restraints), hog-tying and transporting people face down in a vehicle.
- Recommended language: “The use of restraints to ‘hog-tie’ (restraining person by connecting them or tying rear cuffed hands to cuffed or shackled ankles or legs) subjects and the transportation of subjects in a face down position within any vehicle are prohibited.” (Taken from NYPD Policy)
Intervene to stop other officers who are using excessive force and report them to a supervisor.
- Recommended language: “Any officer present and observing another officer using force that is clearly beyond that which is objectively reasonable under the circumstances shall, when in a position to do so, safely intercede to prevent the use of such excessive force. Officers shall promptly report these observations to a supervisor.” (Taken from Las Vegas Metro PD Policy)
Have first aid kits and immediately render medical assistance to anyone in police custody who is injured or who complains of an injury.
- Recommended language: “Duty to Provide Medical Assistance. After any use of force incident, members shall immediately render aid to the injured person consistent with his/her training and experience and request medical assistance.” (Taken from New Baltimore PD Policy)
For further explanation of these recommendations, please visit Campaign Zero’s Use-of-Force-Policy Recommendations.
Implementing these recommendations is important, but it is only the first step toward embedding Racial Equity in St. Louis County public safety policy. St. Louis County should prioritize resident voice by expanding opportunities for community input into more comprehensive, routine, and permanent processes. Too often, the voices of those negatively impacted, physically and mentally, by current public safety policy go unheard and unheeded. There is also a deep need for a commitment to transparency by creating a publicly accessible use of force database that is disaggregated by race.
We cannot stress enough, though, that we need holistic and transformative change for there to truly be Justice for All, not just the reduction of the harm caused by our current system.
Best,
Trevaughn Latimer
Justice For All Fellow
Forward Through Ferguson
