Let it never be said that St. Louis Sheriff Vernon Betts backs down from a fight.
Earlier this week, Betts had a St. Louis Public Radio photojournalist removed after they attempted to photograph an event outside of the St. Louis Civil Courts Building. Then, when discussing the legality of the incident with two STLPR journalists on Wednesday, Betts went on an unprompted tirade about his opponent in the Democratic primary, calling him names and threatening physical abuse.
"Look at every news story that was put out there about him and I. Everything that he says is a lie, a total lie," Betts told two STLPR journalists outside the St. Louis Civil Courts Building before a land tax sale. "'Oh the sheriff said he's gonna kick my ass.' Yeah I did say that. I did say I'm slapping the s--- out of him."
Betts lost his bid for reelection in the August primary to Alfred Montgomery, a former sheriff’s deputy. He is heavily favored in the November general election because the city is traditionally a Democratic stronghold.
On Wednesday, Betts justified his remarks by alleging his primary opponent harassed him on the campaign trail. Betts insisted local media missed this part of the story. “I'm still the sheriff until December the 31st,” the sheriff said. “[Until] you got some other monkey … uh, guy, running around.”
Betts, who is Black, also said he was not going to run for St. Louis mayor but would have if he had won the Democratic primary. He lost to Montgomery, who is also Black, by roughly 250 votes and a recount of the ballots reaffirmed the loss last month. Betts later lamented that more south St. Louis Republicans didn’t pull Democratic tickets in the primary.
“When I walk out of here on the 31st of December, [...] you get your cameras and stuff ready then. You're gonna have some fun here the next year,” he said Wednesday. “I know that we're turning this department over to an idiot. He worked for me for three months. Three months he was a total idiot.”
When asked about his comments, Betts said Thursday he stood by them. He alleged Montgomery participates in similar rhetoric and it's part of regular political discourse.
"I think if you watch TV and watch the news, you'll see [...] politicians saying stuff about other politicians. Trump has said all kinds of stuff about Kamala Harris, all kinds of stuff,” he said, adding: “You got […] your panties in a bunch because I won't let you take pictures.”
The outgoing St. Louis sheriff’s comments are simply the latest entry in a series of outbursts.
In February 2023, the Riverfront Times reported Betts grew enraged after an employee failed to support him politically. Betts called the staffer, boasting that he’d demoted the deputy and repeatedly referred to him using racial slurs. The deputy later sued Betts, claiming racial discrimination and retaliation.
Earlier this year, Betts once again came under fire for a recording where he can be heard telling deputies to shoot people who disagree with him. He later told KMOV the comments were a joke.
The original dispute
On Tuesday, a STLPR photojournalist was attempting to photograph a city land tax sale — an auction run by Betts’ office — taking place outside the civil courthouse on public property owned by the city.
An officer told the photojournalist they were not allowed to make photos inside the courthouse. When they went to photograph the event outside the courthouse, Betts had two officers escort the STLPR journalist off the premises.
While journalists are only permitted to photograph inside court buildings with permission, legal experts say public property is fair game.
"This is my show. So if you want to go get a court order, go get a court order [...] and then I'll let you do whatever that court order tells you," Betts said Wednesday. “I'm trying to protect the identity, the safety, of the citizens that have to use this building.”
The St. Louis Sheriff's Office has jurisdiction over the civil courts within the city’s boundaries, and Betts said it didn’t matter if the auction was moved outside on public property. He opined the principle — and his rules — still stood because holding the event outside allegedly created an extension of the courtroom.
Mickey Osterreicher the National Press Photographers Association’s attorney, disagrees.
“He may have jurisdiction over the area, but that doesn't necessarily allow him to control what's a constitutional right and what to photograph and record things that take place in traditional public forums,” Osterreicher said. “The overriding general rule is that when you are out in public, there is no reasonable expectation of privacy.”
The Missouri statute around auctions related to delinquent lands and lots makes no mention of restrictions around documentation of the proceedings nor does the City of St. Louis’ land tax schedule and information page. The City of St. Louis owns the plot of land the courts sit on.
Osterreicher said the sheriff's department should have written policy around Betts’ allegations.
“Unless somebody produces [written policy], it sounds to me like you've got a sheriff who's just acting in an arbitrary and capricious manner,” Osterreicher said. "Law enforcement is there to enforce existing laws — not just make them up.”
A sheriff’s office staffer announced there would be no photographs made of the sale on Wednesday, but neither Betts nor any of the sheriff's office staff could produce a statute or policy to that effect.
Montgomery said he believes no such rules actually exist. “The courts belong to the people and the people are allowed to take any photos or anything outside of the courthouse steps,” he said. “That's the property of the people.”
After nearly a half hour of conversation with STLPR journalists on Wednesday, Betts allowed them to photograph and record auction proceedings.
Montgomery, the likely incoming sheriff, said Betts’ actions and comments are problematic and follow a repeated pattern of threatening behavior. He said that it's prime time to get Betts out of office.
“We don't need an individual here that promotes violence,” he said. “We need an individual here that finds a solution for the violence that we have in the city.”
Correction: Alfred Montgomery is the Democratic nominee for St. Louis Sheriff. He faces a Libertarian candidate in the November general election.
