UNIVERSITY CITY, Mo. — Amid broader discussions about improving police tactics across the country, a local Missouri group is working with a national police research organization to take a look at the problems specific to policing in the St. Louis region.
Over the past several weeks, the local organization Better Together and the Police Executive Research Forum have organized four town hall meetings throughout the St. Louis region, hoping to improve relations between communities and police in the area. Information from the town halls will be incorporated into a study, conducted jointly by the two groups, about the “‘ideal’ policing solution for the St. Louis region,” according to Better Together’s website. The groups expect to issue a report by April.
Better Together was established in late 2013 to promote better community relationships with municipal governments in St. Louis County. The group has been focusing on policing issues since before unarmed teenager Michael Brown was killed by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, although Better Together has intensified its push for reform since Brown’s death in August. Brown’s killing sparked months of protests that called attention to policing problems in the larger St. Louis region.
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“I think we had a very honest conversation. Four town halls, four different parts of this area, all been different, all been interesting, all been important. I think that’s what we’re really trying to do, is get a slice of every part of this region,” Wexler told HuffPost.
After interviewing over 300 people, and listening to people share their experiences, Wexler suggested that the main issue with policing is respect. “It’s not like I haven’t heard these stories before, I’ve worked in the Middle East and I’ve worked in Northern Ireland, and so much of this is about respect,” he said.
“There’s a lot of tension from both sides. Through these sessions we can begin to see the future,” Wexler added.
