ST. LOUIS – A new lawsuit was filed Thursday trying to put a stop to the state takeover of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. 

“What’s happening at the state legislature is not about safety. It’s about power. It’s about control,” plaintiff Mike Milton said. 

Arch City Defenders has filed the lawsuit on behalf of two community activists, Milton and Jamala Rogers. 

“Now that they’ve convinced the state legislature to completely take it over, I don’t expect anything but lack of progress,” Rogers said. 

The lawsuit argues the state takeover bill, House Bill 495 is unconstitutional because it imposes an unfunded mandate on the city and parts of the bill only apply to a single political subdivision; The City of St. Louis. 

HB 495, signed into law earlier this year, creates a board to oversee the police department. The majority of the board members will be appointed by the governor. The bill received support from the St. Louis Police Officers Association and the Ethical Society of Police. 
But voters approved local control of the police department back in 2012. 

“We have a state legislature that says, “we don’t care what you want. We don’t care what you deserve. In fact, we don’t even care what the law has said,” Rogers said. 

It is the second lawsuit now filed regarding HB 495.  

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey sent FOX 2 a statement saying, “Instead of filing frivolous lawsuits, this group should focus their efforts on making St. Louis safer, instead of undermining the will of the people’s elected representatives who are working to protect it. As Attorney General, I am committed to protecting the people of St. Louis and supporting the men and women of the SLMPD who put their lives on the line every day.” 

The other lawsuit against the bill was re-filed last month by the city’s board of aldermen president Megan Green. The state has not yet filed an official response in court.