Police Reform

Activists hope the data will attract more attention and action on issues of police brutality and the need for reform.

“Hopefully we are doing our ancestors proud in the work that we are doing here,” state Rep. LaToya Greenwood said.

Black St. Louisans are appalled at what they saw at the U.S. Capitol last week, when a largely white mob forced its way past police to try to stop Congress from certifying the election of President-elect Joe Biden. They couldn't miss how police officers did not aggressively counter white rioters and how that contrasted with how officers treat Black people at demonstrations for Black lives.

The reports, released Monday, call for significant action by both departments.

Amy Hilgemann remembers the job she had in the early 1980s as among the most fulfilling work she ever did. At the time, she directed Crisis Intervention Services, a collaboration with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. Officers were empowered to hand off certain situations to a dedicated group of six social workers, including Hilgemann, whom they could call on seven days a week. The program got some rave reviews. But when the initial funding stream ran out, it ended.

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson announced Wednesday that he was calling lawmakers back to the state Capitol on Monday, July 27, for a special legislative…