The Ethical Society of Police

4901 Delmar, St. Louis, MO 63108

314-478-8014
Email: info@esopstl.org
Facebook: Ethical Society of Police – ESOP
Twitter: @ESOP_STL

ESOP is in disagreement with Chief Barton assertions.

St. Louis County Chapter disagrees with Chief Mary Barton on several of her latest assertions; however,
we all agree that the vast majority of St. Louis County police officers are dedicated servants who value
the community and perform their duties with honor, integrity, and professionalism. Our expressed
concerns are not about those officers.

Four St. Louis County Council members recently echoed our concerns, subsequently passing a
Resolution of NO Confidence in Chief Mary Barton’s ability to effective lead the St. Louis County
Police Department. Those elected officials represent a significant portion of St. Louis County with
constituents who share their concerns. Therefore, it was misguided for Chief Barton to take a
dismissive tone while categorizing their concerns as simply opinion. Chief Barton was appointed to
serve the entirety of St. Louis County and should be responsive to the concerns and needs of all of its
citizens, not just the areas represented by council members who have been unable to recognize her
leadership deficiencies.

The department is suffering from poor leadership and is plagued by issues that have been allowed to
fester for far too long. Chief Barton’s career spans over 40 years and a significant number of those
years have been in command-level positions. Over the course of four decades, she has undoubtedly
witnessed the legacy of racism, disparities, and inequitable treatment of marginalized groups, which
still exists within the department today. As a past commander (Captain) within the Division of Human
Resources, she held oversight over the hiring and promotional processes. We are not aware of any
direct action on her part to shed light on or bring about an end to policies and practices that
disproportionately impacted minority candidates then, and we are still waiting for Chief Barton to do
so now.

The Board of Police Commissioners bear some responsibility for the current state of affairs. Police
Commissioner Thomasina Hassler is an Associate Professor and Director of the Racial Justice/Social
Justice Institute at University of Missouri-Saint Louis. It is extremely disappointing that a person with
her knowledge and understanding of methodologies that should be put into place to mitigate racial

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disparities remains complicit in Chief Barton’s failed leadership in this arena. As a result, morale is
suffering and the ability to attract and retain police officers who embody the values of our noble
profession is increasingly difficult. This is a clear and present danger that should be treated as such.

The Teneo Group report stated, “Hiring, training, promotion, and transfer policies lack transparency
and are perceived to be excessively subjective. All these areas offer opportunity for the new chief to
initiate creative and courageous reform.” None of that is breaking news! It should not have required
the completion of assessments from multiple consulting groups in order for action items to end up on
a strategic plan that remains in the development stages.

If Chief Barton was sincere about ending the patterns and practices that seek to damage trust, the
organization’s professional image, and hinders the reparation of relationships with communities that
are disproportionately impacted by bad policing, her actions would be aligned with her words.
Recently, Chief Barton enthusiastically referenced the ABLE (Active Bystander for Law Enforcement)
Project as one of her key accomplishments and training initiatives since being appointed chief.
According to the website, ABLE is a national hub for training, technical assistance, and research, all
with the aim of creating a police culture in which officers routinely intervene as necessary. Well, Chief
Barton effectively undermined the essence of the training that encourages officers to speak up about
injustice, inequality, and/or corruption when she sanctioned the removal of Officer Shanette Hall from
a specialized unit. Officer Hall was used as a cautionary tale to others who dare speak truth to power.
The message was loud and clear “If you speak up, your career will suffer”, which is a longstanding
practice that has existed for at least 40 years. Chief Barton’s attempt to categorize Officer Hall’s
transfer as anything other than punitive, is disingenuous.

As an additional point of interest regarding Chief Barton’s integrity, we must reflect on how she
handled the incident involving her racist brother-in-law who uttered a racial slur over the radio while
on-duty as a St. Louis County dispatcher. During the inexplicable prolonged investigation, terms such
a “due process” provided cover for what turned into a delay process. Although Chief Barton should
not be held to account for her relative’s behavior, she had a responsibility to be transparent and honest
about his employment status at the conclusion of the investigation. To date, the question remains
whether he was terminated or allowed to retire.

Without integrity, there is little hope for trust and legitimacy to be perceived by the officers or the
community. When even one officer or agent within an agency commits a breach of trust, the whole
organization suffers. When the head of that organization does so, the results can be catastrophic. This
is a real moral moment, and we call on the Board of Police Commissioners to exercise their authority
to remove Chief Mary Barton so that the department can begin to heal, repair broken relationships, and
regain the trust of those we serve.

Respectfully,

The Ethical Society of Police