JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — The battle to control the police department in St. Louis has intensified as a second bill was heard during a House committee.
The Crime Prevention and Public Safety Committee heard hours of testimony on Thursday from those in favor of and opposed to House Bill 1481, which St. Rep. Brad Christ (R-St. Louis County) has proposed.
“This is not a crime plan,” Christ said. “The St. Louis administration has consistently demoralized this department over its tenure.”
Christ’s proposal, if passed, would create a Board of Police Commissioners. Four citizens from the City of St. Louis would serve on the commission in addition to the mayor automatically being appointed.
St. Rep. LaKeySha Bosley (D-City of St. Louis) pointed out that Christ, who proposed the legislation, does not live in the City of St. Louis.
“Why are you carrying a bill that’s directly affecting the City of St. Louis when you have your constituency that you need to worry about?” Bosley asked.
Christ responded that crime issues in the city can affect everyone.
“Your problems in the City of St. Louis have affected my neighborhood and affected the whole state,” Christ replied.
St. Louis Police Officers’ Association President Jay Schroeder said pay, recruiting, retention and support from City Hall are all issues for the commission to be created.
“When you’re not being paid well, you’re coming to work, and you’re overworked, and you talk to your buddy who works in a [nearby] municipality, and they say, “Well man, I’m making $20 grand more and I’m doing a third of what you do in a day or week,” Schroeder told the committee.
Schroeder pointed out Kansas City’s latest proposal, which would increase an officer’s starting salary by about 30%, from $50,000 to $65,000. The starting salary for an SLMPD officer is about $53,000.
St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department Chief Robert Tracy opposes the bill and said since his appointment last year, officers received a historic raise, and the city and union are in contract negotiations right now.
“Although people may have passed us, we’re right in the middle of negotiations again to make sure we stay competitive,” Tracy said.
The chief said recruiting officers is a crisis in the United States and not just a problem in St. Louis.
“There are places offering $75,000 in hiring bonuses and they’re not getting any officers. Seattle $25,000,” Tracy said. “Everyone is trying to find a way to get them back into the profession.”
Tracy said recruiting teams are going into colleges and universities, and he plans to launch a cadet program offering tuition reimbursement, among other things.
The top cop, who’s the first appointed chief in the department’s history, asked lawmakers to give him a chance.
“I think the city recognized that there’s things they want to change, they want to make changes for the better, and they want to get fresh eyes to see how we can improve things,” Tracy said.
This is not the only proposal on the table right now. Lawmakers are also considering Senate Bill 808, which has similarities to the House bill.
