In 90 days or less, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department will be under the control of a governor-appointed board.
Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe signed into law on Wednesday legislation that places the department under state control. Currently, the mayor’s office oversees the department.
“I said at the beginning of session that public safety was going to be our priority. I'm really proud of the folks in this building who worked hard to get this to our desk … a bill that's of this importance and impact so soon in the session,” Kehoe said.
Sen. Nick Schroer, R-Defiance, who is one of the sponsors of the legislation, said after Kehoe won the gubernatorial primary last year that they met. “I made sure that his No. 1 priority and my No. 1 priority would get done this year," Schroer said.
“There was a promise that we made coming into this year to voters that we would make Missouri safe again by making St. Louis safe again, and today, with the signing of this bill, we're going to make true on that promise.”
St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones has repeatedly spoken against the legislation. Jones along with St. Louis Police Chief Robert Tracy testified in Jefferson City against the bill.
In a statement Wednesday, Jones called the bill “a sham.”
“The residents of the city of St. Louis are safer today because my administration has made difficult and bold decisions that have resulted in a historic reduction in crime,” Jones said.
The St. Louis department announced in January that overall crime in St. Louis was down 15% since 2023. Additionally, the department said St. Louis’ 150 homicides in 2024 is the fewest since 2013.
While some Republicans have expressed doubt about those numbers, Jones testified in January that the statistics are audited each year.
Board makeup
The board will consist of five voting members and one nonvoting position. One of the voting members will be the mayor of St. Louis. All appointees, except the mayor, will be appointed by the governor and must also be approved by the Senate.
The voting members must be residents of St. Louis for a minimum of two years. They must not hold an elected or appointed political office.
The nonvoting member may be a resident in a county that adjoins the city limits of St. Louis if they own real property in St. Louis that they pay taxes on.
Kehoe said before he signed the bill that for St. Louis police officers, their jobs aren't any different Wednesday than they were Tuesday.
“They want to continue to work with their command staff and the folks within the police department to continue to keep St. Louis city’s streets safe, and that's what they do a great job doing,” Kehoe said.
Because the section of the law containing the police control measure had an emergency clause attached to it, that portion went into effect when Kehoe signed it.
That means the governor’s office now has 30 days to appoint a transition director as well as 90 days to assemble the board.
Kehoe said several people have expressed interest in being the transition director.
“We're going to try to pick somebody that will do the best for the men and ladies in blue and understand how to work with the chief and the department," Kehoe said.
One of the board’s powers is the ability to hire or fire the police chief. However, Kehoe said he was a fan of what Tracy has accomplished so far in his term.
“Ultimately, whoever the chief is will work for the board, and I'm sure that the board will look kindly on all the good things that Chief Tracy has done to get us to the point we're at,” Kehoe said.
Tracy released a statement Wednesday saying public safety remains the department’s top priority.
“We will work with Gov. Mike Kehoe’s office and the transition director while maintaining the highest standards of excellence in policing and delivering quality service to our community,” Tracy said.
Kansas City's is the only other police department in Missouri under state control.
Other portions of the law will go into effect in August. That includes 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.
