O’FALLON, Mo. (AP) – St. Louis County police have parted ways with a contracted instructor who used racial slurs during a class, the third incident of overt racism at one of Missouri’s largest police departments in recent months.
Police spokesman Benjamin Granda confirmed in an email Wednesday that the instructor made disparaging comments about Blacks, Hispanics and women. The comments occurred Monday during training for police officers, security guards and park rangers. The instructor’s name was not released.
Police Chief Mary Barton informed staff of the incident in a letter on Tuesday. She called the language used by the instructor “inconsistent with our values and below our expectations.”
“Moving forward, we will be reevaluating the process in which we hire contracted instructors to ensure those that provide instruction are the most professional available,” Barton wrote.
Another instructor at the St. Louis County and Municipal Police Academy was removed in October for using a racial slur during a class. Police did not disclose what that instructor said.
In January, a police dispatcher used a racial slur over the radio. After the slur, another voice on the police radio can be heard telling the dispatcher that his audio was left open. Commanders launched an internal investigation and the dispatcher left the department days later. Police declined to say if he resigned or was fired.
All three incidents have occurred since Barton drew criticism in June for telling the St. Louis County Council that “to say there’s systemic racism in the police department is overly broad and probably not accurate.”
The Ethical Society of Police, a group representing about 300 Black officers in the county and St. Louis city, said Tuesday that the “number and frequency of race-based acts of intolerance should serve as evidence of systemic racism and pervasiveness.”
The Ethical Society sent a letter to Barton in December urging actions to address racism, including a survey of officers and mandatory anti-racism training.
“No action or direct response has occurred,” the Ethical Society said in a news release. “How much longer must we go while being subjected to such language?”
But Barton, in her letter, said she and the deputy chief have worked with the Ethical Society and the department’s Diversity and Inclusion Unit “as we all strive to better our Department.”
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