ST. LOUIS – The St. Louis City mayor’s office issued a joint statement with the St. Louis Police Chief and St. Louis Department of Public Safety this afternoon about the use of force and training for the police department.
The joint statement says the officers must use the highest degree of care in the application of any use of force.
The joint statement also lists policies and training measures the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department has previously taken.
Those measures include:
- De-escalation training has been part of training since 2014
- Implicit bias training and racial equity training have been mandatory since 2014
- SLMPD does not teach or sanction any type of chokehold technique
- It is a requirement that all members of the SLMPD take appropriate action to prevent any misconduct against any citizen by another member of the department.
- It is strictly prohibited for members of the SLMPD to discharge a firearm at a moving vehicle unless an occupant of that vehicle is immediately threatening the officer of another person with deadly force by means other than the vehicle.
- Instruction and training teaches officers to use the least amount of force reasonably necessary to effectively bring an incident under control while protecting life
The leaders also state when it comes to use of force, they recognize that in unique situations, exceptions to restrictions may be necessary. The letter states every use of deadly force will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis to determine the reasonableness of an officer’s actions.
The leaders also say the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department (SLMPD) regularly reviews policies and procedures, as well as modify them when needed to ensure that the department is best serving the community.
The city leaders say they support the following:
- national registry of bad and corrupt police officers
- national standards for police training
- the hiring of mental and behavioral health specialists to assist police
