St. Louis could soon find itself among the few major U.S. cities where local elected officials do not have full control over their police department, following the approval of a bill by Missouri legislators. On Wednesday, the state Senate passed a measure granting the Republican Governor of Missouri, Mike Kehoe, the authority to appoint four city residents to serve as voting members of a newly established board overseeing the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. The city’s mayor, Democrat Tishaura Jones, would also be part of this board.
In a published statement, Governor Kehoe expressed his eagerness to receive the bill and commended legislators for prioritizing public safety. Should this become law, it would position St. Louis with the minority of U.S. cities where the police department is not directly managed by locally elected officials. Many of these cities are led by Democrats and have diverse racial compositions.
During the legislative debate, Democratic Representative Kimberly-Ann Collins from St. Louis voiced concerns that the move to reconfigure control over the police department is influenced by the city having an African-American female mayor. Meanwhile, the bill is a response to longstanding issues, including declining population, rising homicide rates, and political struggles between city leaders and GOP state authorities, according to Republican lawmakers. They argue that shifting management is essential to restore order and safety in St. Louis, a critical economic hub of the state.
Republican Representative Brad Christ from St. Louis expressed his desire for a safer environment reminiscent of his childhood experiences in the city. However, statistical evidence shows that whether the police force is firmly under state or local control has limited impact on changing crime patterns. Both St. Louis and Kansas City, which remains under state control, experienced similar surges in homicides, peaking in 2020 with a subsequent decline. The early 1990s also saw rises in homicides when both cities’ departments were state-managed.
Nationally, other cities like Camden and Paterson in New Jersey have also seen similar state interventions in their police departments following various crises and tensions. Camden reshaped its law enforcement a decade ago, while Paterson’s department is currently under state command after controversies.
Furthermore, the state of Mississippi recently expanded the reach of a state-controlled police department within the Democratic-led capital city of Jackson, where the population is substantially African-American. The state’s move comes alongside a history of state-oversight over local police departments in Missouri, a practice established during the Civil War due to the state’s split allegiances. In 2013, Missouri voters switched to local control for St. Louis amid debates over its effectiveness.
St. Louis’s mayor has been vocal against the initiative to reinstate state oversight, labeling it as an authoritarian maneuver that undermines democracy. She asserted that the opposition to such a proposition is ongoing, vowing to protect the interests of the city’s residents.
