It seems that every week, there's another story about a police officer killing an unarmed Black American. Sometimes, the police are justified, but most of the time, we're left to wonder why this doesn't happen in other countries - and why young black men are 21 times more likely to be killed by police than white men.
We sign petitions calling for investigations, firings, and indictments, but we want to do more. We want to address the systemic problems behind the violence. The Ferguson Commission has given us that opportunity.
12 of its 189 transformative policy recommendation include POST as an accountable body - the Missouri Peace Officer Standards and Training Council. Signing this petition calling on POST to adopt the Ferguson Commission's recommendations is your chance to address police hiring procedures, training, and culture, not just the individual officers who make the news.
The recommendations include:
- Require Psychological and Bias Screenings
- Increase Police Training Hours
- Train Police to Better Engage Citizens
- Include Implicit Bias and Cultural Responsiveness Training
- Establish Search and Seizure Procedures for LGBTQ Populations
- Include Social Interaction Training
- Include New Approaches in Anti-Bias Training for Police
- Prohibit Profiling and Discrimination
- Support Officer Well-Being
- Provide Mental Health Services for Officers
- Consolidate Law Enforcement Agencies
- Evaluate Consolidated Departments
Image Credit: MacLean's
