The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department will once again be under state control.
The Missouri House voted 113-39 on Wednesday to pass a Senate-amended House bill that places the department under the control of a state-appointed board.
Several Democrats joined almost all Republicans in voting for the legislation.
Now that the legislation has passed both chambers, it goes to Gov. Mike Kehoe, who has made state control of the department an early priority of his administration.
Because the legislation includes an emergency clause, the section regarding the police department will go into effect as soon as Kehoe signs it.
That means Kehoe would only have 90 days to establish the board once the bill is signed.
Speaking on his bill on the House floor, Rep. Brad Christ, R-St. Louis County, said public safety is the region’s biggest challenge.
“We have different ideas in this chamber about how to address that. This is one great tool. It's not the cure-all, but it can help ensure that one key piece of the puzzle’s in place,” Christ said.
Democrats from St. Louis repeatedly stood up to speak against the legislation, including Rep. LaKeySha Bosley, D-St. Louis.
“I find it incredibly insulting that we keep having conversations about St. Louis without St. Louis being in the room,” Bosley said.
However, as happened in the Senate, a few Democrats did support the measure.
Rep. Steve Butz, D-St. Louis, repeated his support for the bill, saying it’s what officers want.
“I can tell you this, that if we boost the morale, we will also, with passing this bill, you will have a complete reversal of resignations from this department, and you will see officers returning in a greater number,” Butz said.
The city’s two police unions, the St. Louis Police Officers Association and the Ethical Society of Police, supported state control of the department and issued statements praising its passage.
“ESOP's more than 200 mostly minority members as well as an overwhelming majority of all SLMPD officers have supported this bill because we've experienced negative changes, day in and day out, since losing state control,” the society said in a statement.
Through the legislation, which went through changes in the Senate, the department would be under the control of a six-person board.
The mayor would serve on the board, as well as four resident commissioners and a nonvoting member.
The commissioners must be residents of St. Louis for at least two years before their appointment. They also must be confirmed by the Senate.
Currently, the St. Louis police department is under the control of the mayor’s office. It’s been under local control since 2013 after Missouri voters approved a measure in 2012.
It marked the first time in over 150 years that the mayor’s office had authority over the department.
Both St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones and Police Chief Robert Tracy opposed state control and testified against it this session as well as prior ones. They both cited a significant reduction in crime last year, including the fewest homicides since 2013.
In a statement released after the vote, Jones said her administration has spent the past four years addressing crime in St. Louis.
“All this bill does is halt and reverse our progress in service of allowing a small number of non-city-residents to pat themselves on the back because they succeeded in taking away the will of the voters once again. This bill is disrespectful, it’s pathetic, and it’s cowardly,” Jones said.
St. Louis Board of Aldermen President Megan Green also released a statement, saying, “While the so-called party of small government continues to prioritize power over progress, my office remains focused on solutions that reduce crime through prevention so everyone in our city can feel safe and be safe.”
The legislation includes other measures related to public safety and corrections, such as language addressing wrongful convictions. The bill would allow anyone determined to be innocent as a result of DNA or another evidentiary method to receive restitution.
A person may receive $179 a day for each day of their post-conviction incarceration for the offense they were acquitted of. It caps at $65,000 per fiscal year.
