Can Missouri stop police officers fired for misconduct from job hopping? This could help
Jackson County Sheriff Darryl Forté has made an important suggestion to improve transparency and accountability among law enforcement agencies in Missouri.
This week, Forté, a former chief of police in Kansas City, proposed a mandatory, statewide registry of police officers who have been terminated for misconduct or abuse of power. Agencies could use the list to weed out bad cops and deputies.
“I noticed back in 1985 when I first joined the police department that officers would be terminated, or they’d separate under the threat of termination, and they’d be working at a neighboring agency,” Forté said. “How did this person get a job over there after what they did here?”
The sheriff wants to end this practice.
Missouri law currently requires most police officers and deputies to obtain a license. The license can be suspended or revoked, or the licensee can be put on probation for several acts, including “moral turpitude or a reckless disregard for the safety of the public or any person.”
Someone facing the loss of their peace officer license has the right to a hearing, as well as an appeal, and can seek relief in a state court.
But Forté believes many officers with troubling track records leave a city or county before the formal license revocation process begins. Bad actors, he says, can then move from city to city, job to job, without a thorough vetting for known misconduct.
“This is the right time to talk about accountability, where someone can’t hide,” Forté said.
Agencies would not be prevented from hiring anyone on the list, he said, although “common sense” would convince departments to pass over officers who have been disciplined. In any case, hiring departments would be on notice if they hired an officer who had been fired elsewhere, making it harder to defend abuse cases that might end up in court.
The details of Forté’s proposal are not yet final. To his credit, the sheriff says his plan should be negotiated with police collective bargaining units and law enforcement agencies across the state. Lawmakers will want to be involved as well.
A statewide police misconduct registry would need a strong hearing and appeals process. No one’s career should be ruined because of a minor, unsubstantiated claim or a vendetta by a chief or a member of the public.
At the same time, reporting must be mandatory. Other departments must have faith that the information in the registry is accurate and up to date.
The registry should also be available to the public. Forté says he isn’t ready to endorse that idea, but full transparency is essential if the public’s faith in policing is to be restored.
Oversight could be provided by the Peace Officer Standards and Training program, known as POST. The program is run by an 11-member commission that includes chiefs of police and sheriffs from across Missouri.
In a letter released Tuesday, two members of the Missouri House noted the POST commission is several members short. According to the POST website, more than half the commission’s seats are either vacant or held by members with expired terms.
“A commission this important to public safety in Missouri cannot be allowed to operate on autopilot,” said state Reps. Crystal Quade and Steven Roberts, both Democrats.
The two asked Gov. Mike Parson to work with the POST Commission to overhaul training procedures, including banning chokeholds and reducing racial profiling in police stops. Those needed reforms should be priorities, along with a full-strength POST Commission.
George Floyd was buried Tuesday. His death has prompted appeals from across the nation for more transparency and accountability for the police. Sheriff Forté’s proposal would provide both, and the legislature should enact a version of it as soon as possible.