St. Louis County police must strengthen policies for handling protests, improve training on diversity and community policing, and do a better job of hiring and promoting minorities and women, according to a report released Friday by the Department of Justice.
It was the third and final federal review stemming from the unrest in Ferguson that followed the fatal shooting last year of an unarmed, black 18-year-old by police.
Michael Brown was killed Aug. 9, 2014, during a confrontation with white Ferguson officer Darren Wilson, prompting months of unrest in the St. Louis suburb. Wilson resigned in November, but a grand jury and the Justice Department declined to prosecute him.
The justice department's report makes 109 recommendations intended to "make St. Louis (County) a model for the rest of the country," said Ronald Davis director of the department's Office of Community Oriented Policing Services.
Police Chief Jon Belmar said in a written statement that the department "demonstrated complete transparency in providing data for the COPS office."
"As with any critical analysis, we will evaluate the recommendations, and move forward in ways that will ensure our commitment to serve and protect the citizens of St. Louis County, while continuing to set an example of leadership for other agencies to follow," he said.
The latest assessment found St. Louis County police "to be a competent, professional police department, well trained and disciplined in the technical skills." And it acknowledged that the events in Ferguson were difficult.
But it found that county police failed to anticipate the extent of the anger officers would face.
"By not identifying the potential for large-scale violent protests, officers reacted to problems instead of taking a proactive approach to preventing them," the report stated.
Law enforcement personnel were too quick to deploy rifles and administered tear gas at the protests, the report found. Written policy should govern use of guns and tear gas, the report recommends, adding that tear gas should be used only with the approval of the incident commander, with video documentation, and only after a warning to the crowd.
The report recommended that police include community leaders in response planning and be more open and transparent with the public about those plans. Training manuals should be updated to emphasize ways to de-escalate unrest.
This content appears as provided to The Globe by the originating wire service. It has not been edited by Globe staff.