St. Louis Sheriff

Betts — who has become known for saying just about anything — will depart at the end of the year after losing the Democratic primary to former deputy Alfred Montgomery.

A federal lawsuit alleges St. Louis sheriff's deputies told the Jefferson County man he could not protest in front of the Civil Courts Building — a public area — due to department policy. No such policy seems to exist.

Sheriff-elect Alfred Montgomery said he plans on replacing more than a dozen senior staffers with seasoned law enforcement veterans from the region on Jan. 1.

Their conflict started when Betts fired Alfred Montgomery, then a sheriff’s deputy, after he announced his first (and unsuccessful) run for the position in 2019.