GRAM’s Response (04/11/18) to the Saint Louis Post Dispatch Article published on April 9th, 2018:

The Saint Louis Metropolitan Police Department (SLMPD) policies GRAM published were obtained directly from officials within the SLMPD as a result of an open records request, under the Missouri Sunshine law, that specifically stated the documents would be made available to the general public. The Riverfront Times interviewed GRAM for their piece on the release of SLMPD policies; they also contacted the SLMPD to obtain their perspective. When asked about GRAM’s upcoming publication, a police spokesperson told the RFT that Chief Hayden was open to posting the policies.

Soon after the RFT published their piece the Saint Louis Post-Dispatch wrote a story about the police department’s response to GRAM publishing the policies. Citing a department-wide email from Chief Hayden and a statement by the department spokeswoman, Schron Jackson, the SLMPD communicated that the documents given to GRAM contained some information about equipment and tactics that the department should have redacted before fulfilling the request. Chief Hayden’s email refers to the release of the improperly redacted documents as a “grave matter” that could jeopardize officer safety. The SLMPD never contacted or informed GRAM about the issue nor did the Dispatch contact GRAM before publishing their story.

Whether Chief Hayden’s email was purposefully provided directly to the Post-Dispatch for a PR story or whether it was leaked, the SLMPD achieved the exact opposite of what they purport to be their stated objective. If the motivation and concern of the department was to have some of the published documents replaced with properly redacted documents, then the SLMPD could have requested a meeting with me as they have in the past to discuss my open records requests. This would have allowed GRAM to consider their request and consult with other experts in law enforcement about the concerns of the SLMPD. Without knowing the specific details GRAM cannot make an informed decision or address the concerns of the department.

GRAM believes accountability within the SLMPD is essential for the health and safety of residents within the City of St. Louis (http://jointhegram.org/intro). Currently the SLMPD has more police killings per population than any other police department in the country. From January 2013 to December 2017, there have been 31 people killed by the SLMPD, 27 of whom have been black.

GRAM hopes that publishing the Manuals and Special Orders that make up the policies of the SLMPD will result in dialogue among concerned citizens with elected and appointed officials that results in meaningful changes to SLMPD practices and culture. Without transparency, there can be no dialogue to effect necessary change.