JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — The mayor of the City of St. Louis called lawmakers from outside the city “disrespectful” for filing legislation to put the city’s police department back under state control.
Republicans sponsoring the bill said crime is devastating St. Louis’ economy, which is hurting the state. Another GOP member said the legislation he filed is a “beacon of hope” for the city.
On the other side of the issue, the chief of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department said these lawmakers are belittling the important work his police officers do.
“First, I don’t think it’s the right thing to do to go under state control, but secondly, I’m listening to the people on the street, listening to the community, and they want to keep us under local control as well,” SLMPD Chief Robert Tracy said.
Back in 2012, Missouri voters approved taking away state control and giving the City of St. Louis oversight of its police department.
“We can no longer continue kicking the can while people are being deprived from life, liberty, and property in our region,” Sen. Nick Schroer, R-Defiance, said. “Businesses are reluctant to invest, families are moving out, and growth has stagnated.”
Schroer is one of the two sponsors of the legislation that would place the agency under the control of a five-member board appointed by the governor. The other is Sen. Travis Fitzwater, R-Holts Summit.
“This is what we don’t think is the silver bullet but a solution to many of the problems that I think the citizens of St. Louis are concerned about,” Fitzwater said.
St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones is calling out Schroer and Fitzwater for filing the legislation but not living in the city.
“I think that’s disrespectful for people who don’t live in the city to try and tell the people in the city what’s best for them,” Jones said. “Until they have walked a mile in any of our officers’ shoes, they don’t have a right to say anything about how our police department should be run.”
Unlike years past, this topic has the backing of Missouri’s new governor, who has said state control is a top priority.
“I’ve been very vocal, especially in St. Louis, that I think state control is appropriate for that police department,” Kehoe said in November. “You’re not going to have any private business consortium spend money and redevelop any inner city, not just St. Louis, unless they feel like their employees and their customers can be safe.”
Jones said she spoke with Kehoe just hours after he was elected in November.
“He asked what my priorities were, and I said, ‘I have two: keeping my police department and my earnings tax,'” Jones said. “He said, ‘Well, on one of those issues, we disagree.'”
Last week, St. Louis officials announced crime remains on a downward trend in the city, including an 11-year low in homicides. Those same officials said earlier this week that SLMPD officers will see a 7% raise after the department cut 124 officers whose positions remained vacant for some time.
On the western side of the state in Kansas City, whose department is controlled by the state, saw record high homicides in 2023.
“Can you explain to me why Kansas City is still one of the top ten dangerous cities in America?” Sen. Barbara Washington, D-Kansas City, asked the bill sponsors.
A spokesperson for Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said:
“As Kansas Citians have seen for generations, state control has too often been synonymous with a lack of accountability by police departments under the state’s control…. State control has not led to increased hiring or better staffing, nor has it reduced crime in our community.”
While the mayor and chief of police are against the takeover, one key group and some residents are in support of it.
President of the St. Louis Police Officer’s Association, Jay Schroeder, insisted the city and department were in better shape under state control before that changed 13 years ago.
“Over the last years of local control, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, you have seen a once strong police department crumble under local control,” he said. “Now, city police is in the hands of progressive city politicians who don’t support our officers and are considering looking for different alternatives to traditional policing.”
Some residents have mixed feelings about the proposal.
“I think in general, I feel pretty safe. Like anyone who grew up in the area, you kind of know which places are a little bit safer maybe than others in the city,” Claire Richardson said.
Long-time south St. Louis resident Alaric Smith says while he generally feels safe in the city, if a state takeover leads to more officers, he’s all for it.
“We definitely need more police officers. That’s the problem,” he said. “Maybe more people would move back to the city…people are moving away because there’s problems in some areas, but the whole city isn’t that—that’s just a small portion.”
For the past two years, lawmakers have debated state takeover, but it’s never made it across the finish line. With Missouri’s governor behind the idea, it could have the momentum to become law this session.