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“To say there’s systemic racism in the police department is overly broad and probably not accurate,� Barton told the council. Her statement was met by criticism from a couple of the council members, and later by members of the Ethical Society of Police. That group represents officers in both city and county police departments and has made multiple allegations of racism in the county department in the past several years.

Now, Barton’s words are hitting close to home.

On Saturday, a county dispatcher was heard over the radio referring to a Black officer in the North County precinct using a racial slur and expletive that included the “N-word.� Multiple law enforcement sources have confirmed that the dispatcher was Mark Peeler, who is the brother of Barton’s husband, retired county police officer Clay Peeler.

The use of the racial slur came just days after the attack on the nation’s Capitol in which some of the rioters were white supremacists. The Washington Post that multiple police departments across the country have opened investigations into whether any of their officers participated in the riots.

County police spokesman Sgt. Benjamin Granda neither confirmed nor denied that Peeler was the dispatcher in question. In a statement, Granda said:

“A racial slur was used on the police radio by a professional staff member serving as a dispatcher. That individual was immediately removed from the radio and relieved of duty. An internal investigation into the matter has been opened.�

Granda released a statement from Barton that did not mention that the suspended employee was related to her.

“As I have said in the past, discrimination, by word or deed, shall not be tolerated by any of us in the St. Louis County Police Department. We have, and will continue, to hold one another accountable.�

That last sentence holds no water for those who have been trying for years to hold the department accountable for racism.

Two years ago I wrote about a Black officer named Nikki Brown, who reported racism in the police academy, where Brown was an instructor. She filed a complaint internally, and then with the Missouri Human Rights Commission. She complained of a fellow instructor who talked of “skinning coons� after Michael Brown was shot and killed in Ferguson.

The chief at the time, Jon Belmar, issued a letter to Brown that confirmed the key elements of her complaints. He said he was sorry. That “steps had been taken� to make sure it didn’t happen again. Brown left the department.

Brown was hardly alone. The Ethical Society of Police has brought multiple such complaints in recent years. “As an organization, we have continuously asked Chief Barton and the Board of Police Commissioners to address the racism that thrives at St. Louis County,� ESOP said in an emailed statement. “Our words have long been ignored and, if the Teneo report wasn’t enough to move Chief Barton to action and address systemic racism, hopefully, this (incident) serves as the evidence she needs to do something about it.�

In December, ESOP sent Barton a letter with specific calls to action to address the racism in the department and is awaiting a reply from the chief.

The Teneo report was a recent study of the department by private consultants that found a significant racial divide in the county police department, echoing concerns raised by ESOP.

“There is a narrowing window of opportunity for the chief to address this racial divide, exert new leadership and lead positive cultural change, some steps of which are currently underway,� the county report said.

Barton was chosen by the county police board as the next chief after Belmar resigned, not long after the county was found liable for $19 million in damages in a discrimination lawsuit filed by former Sgt. Keith Wildhaber, who has since been promoted to lieutenant. Lt. Col. Troy Doyle, who is Black, was passed over for the position of chief, and has since filed an Equal Employment Opportunity complaint against the county for discrimination. Doyle intends to file a lawsuit, according to his attorney, Jerry Dobson.

After KSDK (Channel 5) first reported the alleged slur by an unnamed dispatcher, Wildhaber, who leads the Diversity and Inclusion Unit, issued this statement: “This type of language is disgusting and has no place in our department or in society. Immediate and decisive action must be taken by department leadership.�

The St. Louis County Police Association also condemned the dispatcher’s use of the racial slur.

“We are aware of the racist language that was broadcast over the police radio … We are appalled. There is no place in modern society for these racist epithets.�

St. Louis County NAACP President John Bowman called for a “swift termination� of the dispatcher.

Mark Peeler could not be reached for comment.

County Executive Sam Page, who has said Doyle was his favored candidate for chief — and is a target in Doyle’s complaint, said the investigation into the use of the slur on the radio should be swift. “It is unacceptable what was said,� Page said. “This is not a process that should take a long time.� Told that Peeler is Barton’s brother-in-law, Page said that Barton should recuse herself from the investigation.

In a later email after a version of this column published online Sunday, Granda said Barton has recused herself. The investigation is being handled by Deputy Police Chief Lt. Col. Kenneth Gregory.

“That’s a pretty easy call,� Page said. “Everyone in county government should move quickly on this.�