State Rep. Brad Christ, a Republican from St. Louis, speaks to reporters in February after the House passed his bill that would give the state authority over St. Louis police (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent).
Legislation putting control of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department in the hands of a state board is on its way to the governor’s desk.
On a 113 to 39 vote, the Missouri House gave final approval to a bill to put the city’s police department under control of a board made up of the St. Louis mayor and five commissioners appointed by the governor and confirmed by the state Senate.
Gov. Mike Kehoe is expected to sign the bill, as he has cited it as a major piece of his policy agenda. If the legislation becomes law, St. Louis would join Kansas City as the only major U.S. cities with a police force under state control.
It would go into effect when Kehoe signs the legislation, and he would then have 90 days after that to appoint four of the commissioners.
“This is not the cure all, but it can help ensure that one key piece of the puzzle is in place, funding, staffing and supporting our police department to common sense, adequate levels,” said state Rep. Brad Christ, a St. Louis Republican sponsoring the legislation.
A state board of commissioners ran the St. Louis police department from just before the start of the Civil War to 2012, when voters returned the department back to the hands of local leaders.
Republican lawmakers argue the return of the department to city control was a failed experiment, citing population loss, rising crime and low police morale as evidence. And they repeatedly argued Wednesday that the governor-appointed board should not be considered a state takeover because commissioners will be city residents.
“We show we have the backs of our police,” said state Rep. Jim Murphy, a St. Louis Republican, “and that alone is worth a yes vote.”
Meanwhile, Democrats point to statistics showing a drop in violent crime in St. Louis under local leadership. They argue Kansas City has fared no better despite being under state control since the 1930s.
“This bill will do nothing to address crime,” said state Rep. Del Taylor, a St. Louis Democrat. “Taking over the St. Louis police department has nothing to do with reducing crime. The state ran the department for many years, and the people of Missouri voted to return it to local control.”
The bill ran into a filibuster by St. Louis Democrats in the Senate. But with overwhelming support from the GOP supermajority and governor — and even some Democrats outside St. Louis — opponents agreed to let the bill move forward with key concessions.
Among the provisions removed at the insistence of Democrats was a mandated minimum number of officers required to be on the police force and an immediate requirement for the city to put 25% of its general revenue toward the department.
Instead, the size of the force will be determined by the board, while the city’s budget commitment will be phased in. The original bill also included a role for the police union in choosing up to four members of the commission, an idea Democrats insisted be removed.
Democrats also managed to add provisions banning the shackling of pregnant prisoners, establishing a fund for exonerated prisoners to receive restitution from the state and limiting what jails and prisons can charge inmates for phone calls.
Republicans also agreed to remove a provision that broadened the definition of rioting, a change Democrats feared would have wide ranging unintended consequences.
But the changes to the bill did little to win over St. Louis Democrats, who decried the state takeover
“The two largest cities in this state with the most African American population are going under state control,” said state Rep. Marlon Anderson, a St. Louis Democrat. “Do I think that’s a coincidence? No, I don’t. I see the agenda and it’s written on the wall.”