Ferguson: A consent decree issued by the U.S. Department of Justice is a legal mandate forcing the department to change, but the “restrictive procedures” of that mandate also can slow things down.  The group also noted that Ferguson has had seven police chiefs in the past five years. 

“Ferguson is an eye-opening example of ... extreme volatility in leadership and how that degree of upheaval can impede reform,” according to the report. 

St. Louis: The size of the department leads to “particularly complex dynamics including a larger leadership structure that often precludes a strong, consistent and clear commitment to one platform,” according to the report.  The department is the largest in the region, with about 1,100 commissioned officers, and it is governed by a police chief, a mayor and a public safety director, who, “if you look at their actions, are misaligned,” Furtado said. 

The department also has a “nearly constant flux of legal action both spurring and slowing change,” as well as “an oftentimes oppositional police union,” according to the report.