The union that represents officers of color in the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department wants to know what the public wants to see in a new police chief.
The Ethical Society of Police is hosting the first community forum Thursday night at Vashon High School beginning at 6 p.m. Its president, Sgt. Heather Taylor, said the society plans to schedule at least one more forum, and conduct a survey.
"We're been trying to do these forums to show that we are about community-oriented policing," she said. "When you don’t connect to your community, people don’t often talk to you, they don’t give you tips on crime, they’re fearful of you. We just want to show some level of transparency."
Taylor said the forums are intended to compliment an advisory committee set up by Mayor Lyda Krewson. With the city doing a nation search for the first time, she said, it's important to get as much community input as possible.
The selection process for a new chief could take as long as a year.
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