Photo by Whitney Curtis
After a distinguished and occasionally controversial career, Tim Fitch retired from his job as St. Louis County’s chief of police in January to start a consulting business. Several months later, his successor, Col. Jon Belmar, came under fire for the department’s handling of protests in Ferguson. Many viewed the county’s tactics as heavy-handed. After a few tear gas–filled nights, Gov. Jay Nixon put the Missouri Highway Patrol in charge. Fitch shared his perspective on the situation.
What was your reaction when you first heard Michael Brown had been killed? As a former police chief, I received quite a few of these calls when a police officer was involved in a shooting. My first thought always turned to the well-being of the officer and then, when a young person was fatally injured by an officer, to the family.
What did you think about the length of time Brown’s body was in the street? As a former homicide detective, I know you take as much time as necessary to thoroughly process a homicide scene. If you don’t, you’ll be crucified at a criminal or civil trial or during a prosecution review. When you rush, you’ll make mistakes.
What might have caused the delay? There are events that happen in these situations that extend the time it takes to process the scene. First, the Ferguson Police Department had to call in St. Louis County detectives to conduct the investigation. This action alone can take an hour or longer. Also, detectives and officers at the Ferguson scene have told me they had to retreat to safety several times due to the large crowd gathering and gunshots being fired in their vicinity, extending the time taken to process the scene.
What is the process for moving a body? Only the medical examiner can authorize a body to be moved. Police cannot process the body until their arrival. The medical-examiner investigator is an unarmed civilian and will not respond to a death scene until the police can ensure safety. In large, unruly crowds, that can take quite a bit of time, until you get enough officers to the scene to provide security. After you get the scene secure, the investigator has to conduct an independent review of the scene and gather a lot of information from police. In the best of circumstances, it takes several hours to process a homicide scene. If it truly took four hours to process that scene, I would not call that excessive, considering the circumstances. No police officer wants to have a large, angry crowd around them any longer than is absolutely necessary. This should have been explained to the family and the community.
What did you think about how the protests developed? The peaceful protesters had every right to be there. Police were there to protect them and ensure they could protest. The problem started when criminals started inserting themselves into the peaceful crowd. Bricks, rocks, bottles, and urine- and gasoline-filled containers were thrown at the officers from the crowd. Gunshots were fired at the officers. Officers had to respond to protect themselves, the peaceful protesters, media, and businesses.
Do you think police responded appropriately? The police response was not perfect. That is what many people expect, but in this kind of situation, it’s impossible. I believe they did the best they could have, considering the immense pressure and violence being directed at them. There is never an excuse for police misconduct during any situation. Officers that misused their authority were identified and disciplined.
What are your thoughts on the governor replacing county police with state troopers? Up to this incident, I had respect for the governor. He should have consulted with Chief Belmar and other boots on the ground prior to making the decision. If Chief Belmar felt there was a change needed, he would have stepped aside and asked the governor for assistance. Clearly, the governor made the decision based on political correctness and what was best for him and not for the overall situation.
Before retiring, you were critical of small police departments in county municipalities. There are many examples of excellent police departments in small cities. However, major issues facing police departments in St. Louis County were mainly occurring in small municipalities. This is because they are too small to be adequately funded, or the community cannot generate enough revenue through traditional sources like taxes, so they resort to traffic tickets to pay for basic services. This is an abuse of police authority. Police do not exist to generate revenue. However, I do not blame the police officers. I point the finger at the elected officials
What about in Ferguson specifically? I have nothing but respect for the men and women of the Ferguson Police Department. They’ve always been known in law-enforcement circles as a competent police agency.
What should law-enforcement officials learn from Ferguson? Never assume you have a good relationship with the community. Police leaders have to continually work with diverse groups, such as churches, schools, and civic organizations, to maintain open dialogue. This includes groups that traditionally do not support the police. When you have a situation like the Michael Brown case, you have to be able to lean on the relationships previously established.
How can law enforcement keep peace in the future, while allowing peaceful protests? One of the reasons the violence stopped is because community members insisted that it stop. The criminals didn’t leave Ferguson because of Capt. [Ron] Johnson or the police response; it’s because the community pushed them out. Clergy always has a significant role in these situations. When the clergy and community came together, the violence stopped.
