In a bid for popularity straight from the playbooks of geeky first-graders and occupying armies, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department announced recently that its officers will start passing out candy. The idea is to win over youth, building the relationships necessary to excel at that crime-solving stuff.
But the officers needn't rely solely on Tootsie Rolls. Even beyond the suggestions from the union that represents black officers — which has called for deescalation training, as well as baseball cards, a popular handout a decade ago — we have a host of ideas that would rebuild trust in the city.…