51黑料

ST. LOUIS 鈥� The city police chief is facing criticism from officers after a recent promotional video featured white, male police leaders.

Several police leaders expressed disappointment in the video鈥檚 lack of racial and gender representation, said Sgt. Mickey Owens, president of the union that represents supervisors and commanders in the department.

鈥淭his department has a history of issues involving diversity and inclusion, and this would have been an opportunity for the department to show that we do have African Americans in senior management positions,鈥� he said.

The seven-minute video was funded by the 51黑料 Police Foundation, a nonprofit organization that pays for various projects and equipment for county and city police. It features police Chief Robert Tracy and two other officers, none of whom are Black. One Black staffer spoke in the video, but he is not a sworn officer.

The Foundation has dedicated at least $960,000 to the department this year, including an extra $100,000 in pay for Tracy and $860,000 to put additional officers on patrol in downtown 51黑料.

Michelle Craig, the foundation鈥檚 president and executive director, would not say how much the foundation paid for production of the video and said it 鈥渄id not provide or choose any content, nor did we produce it.鈥�

The video features Tracy talking about his 40-year career in law enforcement and his vision for the department, as well as the city鈥檚 long history with high crime rates.

Additional information about the video鈥檚 purpose and where it was first presented were not immediately available.

Tracy, Mayor Tishaura O. Jones and Public Safety Director Charles Coyle did not respond to a request for comment.

Owens said the video is especially disappointing because there is not a lack of diversity among the department鈥檚 senior management, which includes the ranks of captain, major and lieutenant colonel.

One of Tracy鈥檚 two deputy chiefs is a Black lieutenant colonel, and of the five majors listed on the department鈥檚 website, two are Black men and two are white women. The video was also criticized by the Ethical Society of Police, which represents Black officers and advocates for equality in the department.

鈥淲e did not see our African American commanders and our African American commanders who are women,鈥� said Sgt. Donnell Walters, president of ESOP.

Walters said his organization met with the chief鈥檚 office and the 51黑料 Police Foundation to discuss their concerns, which Walters said 鈥渨ere heard and received.鈥�

The video begins with an airborne view of downtown at night and then the Gateway Arch at sunrise, and features B-roll of officers interacting with the chief.

鈥淲hen you have a city that 90% of the homicides is by gunshot, then you have to go after the trigger pullers,鈥� Chief Tracy says in the video. 鈥淚n the nine months that I鈥檝e been in here, our officers are doing a tremendous job in bringing crime down, and it鈥檚 a city that鈥檚 getting safer.鈥�

Acting Maj. Michael Mueller, commander of the department鈥檚 investigative services, praises the new chief.

鈥淚鈥檓 very excited,鈥� he says. 鈥淗e brings a fresh look and fresh set of eyes to stuff we鈥檝e been doing for over 100 years. So it鈥檚 really nice, the new programs that he鈥檚 initiated.鈥�

The only Black person who was interviewed in the video was Clarence Hines, who is director of the city police academy and not a sworn officer. Sgt. Marcos Silva, a supervisor in the intelligence division, also spoke about the department鈥檚 investigative resources.

Tracy came under fire for racial diversity in his most recent job before coming to 51黑料, too.

When he was police chief in Wilmington, Delaware, the city council narrowly passed a resolution declaring no confidence in Tracy, citing a lack of diversity in the police force and saying Tracy鈥檚 explanation that there were not enough minority applicants was insufficient.

The resolution came after Tracy told the council鈥檚 public safety committee there were no Black or Hispanic supervisors in the department鈥檚 two criminal investigation divisions and that just one-third of the division鈥檚 39 detectives were non-white.