ST. LOUIS A report released Monday seeks to answer whether police departments are making real progress toward racial equality or just checking a box.

The anti-bias training that comprises 1.4% of all training time for Webster Groves police officers is entirely online and costs $4.99?

Furtado, along with organization co-chair Rebeccah Bennett and lead catalyst David Dwight IV, presented the groups second report, titled The State of Police Reform, at the Deaconess Center for Child Well-Being.

They plan to host three town hall meetings throughout the area to discuss the report, which concluded, St. Louis is in desperate need of effective and holistic public safety that doesnt rely on the failed arrest-and-incarcerate model.

The groups report focused on three departments. Here are some of the findings:

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.

North County Police Cooperative: The group called the department, which is based in Vinita Park, organically grown with community-oriented roots. The department formed in 2015 as several municipalities consolidated their police departments in north St. Louis County.

There have been advances in programs that help foster racial equality, but not as much progress on the departments policies, according to the report.

Looking at the region as a whole, the group called for devoting more resources toward addressing the root causes of crime.

Rebeccah Bennett, co-chair of Forward Through Ferguson, speaks during the organization's press conference held at the Deaconess Center for Child Well-Being, 1000 North Vandeventer Ave., on Monday, Sept. 16, 2019. Members of Forward Through Ferguson spoke about a newly released report that focuses on the state of St. Louis area police reform efforts. Photo by Christine Tannous, ctannous@post-dispatch.com

Audience members listen during Forward Through Ferguson's press conference held at the Deaconess Center for Child Well-Being, 1000 North Vandeventer Ave., on Monday, Sept. 16, 2019. Members of Forward Through Ferguson spoke about a newly released report that focuses on the state of St. Louis area police reform efforts. Photo by Christine Tannous, ctannous@post-dispatch.com

Audience members listen during Forward Through Ferguson's press conference held at the Deaconess Center for Child Well-Being, 1000 North Vandeventer Ave., on Monday, Sept. 16, 2019. Members of Forward Through Ferguson spoke about a newly released report that focuses on the state of St. Louis area police reform efforts. Photo by Christine Tannous, ctannous@post-dispatch.com

Amber Norris, from St. Louis, looks at poster boards explaining information released in a new report following Forward Through Ferguson's press conference held at the Deaconess Center for Child Well-Being, 1000 North Vandeventer Ave., on Monday, Sept. 16, 2019. Members of Forward Through Ferguson spoke about a newly released report that focuses on the state of St. Louis area police reform efforts. Photo by Christine Tannous, ctannous@post-dispatch.com

Becky Patel, 41, from Clayton, asks a question during Forward Through Ferguson's press conference held at the Deaconess Center for Child Well-Being, 1000 North Vandeventer Ave., on Monday, Sept. 16, 2019. Members of Forward Through Ferguson spoke about a newly released report that focuses on the state of St. Louis area police reform efforts. Photo by Christine Tannous, ctannous@post-dispatch.com

Audience members listen during Forward Through Ferguson's press conference held at the Deaconess Center for Child Well-Being, 1000 North Vandeventer Ave., on Monday, Sept. 16, 2019. Members of Forward Through Ferguson spoke about a newly released report that focuses on the state of St. Louis area police reform efforts. Photo by Christine Tannous, ctannous@post-dispatch.com

Karishma Furtado, research and data catalyst at Forward Through Ferguson, speaks during the organization's press conference held at the Deaconess Center for Child Well-Being, 1000 North Vandeventer Ave., on Monday, Sept. 16, 2019. Members of Forward Through Ferguson spoke about a newly released report that focuses on the state of St. Louis area police reform efforts. Photo by Christine Tannous, ctannous@post-dispatch.com

Chelesa Holden, 30, asks a question during Forward Through Ferguson's press conference held at the Deaconess Center for Child Well-Being, 1000 North Vandeventer Ave., on Monday, Sept. 16, 2019. Members of Forward Through Ferguson spoke about a newly released report that focuses on the state of St. Louis area police reform efforts. Photo by Christine Tannous, ctannous@post-dispatch.com

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Progress or window dressing? New Ferguson-inspired report analyzes police reforms - STLtoday.com