The past few days have been difficult for police officers. They face longer shifts, tense confrontations, and even some injuries as people protest the Jason Stockley decision.
Many rely on police chaplains during stressful moments on the job.
“It’s not easy for their families, it’s not easy for them,” said Byron Watson, who serves as a chaplain for the St. Louis County Police Department. “It’s long hours they are working and continually under the stress of what they've been up against the last few days. It takes its toll. It takes its toll on our officers.”
Watson, who goes by the nickname “Sarge,” spent three decades in law enforcement before retiring as a sergeant. He was also appointed by Governor Jay Nixon to serve on the Ferguson Commission.
He said the recent days of unrest have been difficult for officers who are trying to protect protesters and the public.
“It's a hard position to be in, you know. They are constantly being criticized for overreacting, under-reacting, or not reacting. If they make an arrest, they were too brutal. If they didn't make an arrest they were too weak.”
Watson said officers often turn to him after listening to insults hurled against themselves and their families during tense moments on the street.
“Some of the name-calling of these officers, they come back and they just want to know why people hate them,” Watson said. “Why do they call them all those names and talk about their families? You know, their families didn’t sign up for this job. They signed up.”
After his time on the Ferguson Commission, Watson said he can see some similarities between the unrest in 2014 and the response to the Stockley decision now.
“Both sides have a lot of good ideas, and they both have some pretty good complaints.”
He said he has seen some change happening, including efforts to reform municipal courts. He sees judges offering alternatives to jail for people with traffic violations.
“You don’t see as many warrants being issued,” he said. “People are working the warrants off now through community service, or they’re actually setting up some type of payment plan.”
Watson thanked the public for supporting officers during unrest, and providing food and water and prayer. He expects the conversation around racial equality will continue in St. Louis, but the city is working to heal.
“I think the lessons learned from Ferguson makes me very confident we will get through this.”