Attorney Richard Banks is the newest member of the St. Louis County Board of Police Commission, a five-member civilian oversight board.
He attended his first meeting Dec. 16, and said he plans to visit all eight county police precincts within the next month.
“I want an opportunity to meet and greet the men and women who run the department and to get a better understanding of where everyone is at this point in time,” he told The St. Louis American. “What challenges they all see going forward and what we can address.”
Banks’ appointment Dec. 11 by County Executive Sam Page was unanimously approved by the St. Louis County Council on Dec. 15.
When asked to fill the vacancy left by Dr. L.J. Punch’s resignation — about after a year after Punch was appointed — Banks said he took some time to consider the opportunity.
“I thought about it very much because like many jobs, it is a thankless job, it is a tough job, but an important job, particularly at the crossroads of where we are at in history right now,” Banks said.
According to media reports, Punch resigned because of the secrecy surrounding a corporate-led experiment involving St. Louis city and county officers working with authorities in Jennings and a policing district in north St. Louis.
The county Board of Police Commissioners was established in 1955 and is tasked with reviewing policies governing the operation and conduct of the department, appointing and providing oversight of the chief of police with the power to dismiss the chief, reviewing all external complaints and conducting hearings for employees appealing discipline or termination by the chief.
Commissioners receive $125 per month for their service, while the chairman receives $150 per month.
Banks believes he brings critical representation to the commission, as he will be the only Black man on the commission at this time and the eighth Black person to be appointed in the board’s history. Thomasina Hassler is the other Black person on the board at this time.
“I think that the perception of having representation on the board is a big step forward,” he said. “I think there are obviously issues that have affected current police officers — African American police officers — they feel they’re underrepresented in the ranks of the police department, that’s my understanding.”
He added he’s still learning about those issues and hopes to have a better grasp on them moving forward, in order to improve situations for officers and the community at large.
“Everybody wants the same thing, ultimately,” he said. “Everybody wants a safe neighborhood where they can live and raise their families. I think ultimately everybody wants that same goal. And certainly we also know that crime impacts the African American communities more so than any other communities. So we certainly, in the African American community, want a police presence but we want fair and just policing.”
Banks has served on the Missouri Supreme Court Advisory Committee, which oversees the disciplinary process for all Missouri lawyers, for approximately 12 years. He noted that his experience on that committee, and as a personal injury attorney, has prepared him to excel on this commission.
“I have done litigation for 30 years, and I think there’s a skill set that you develop when you are a ‘litigator’ because you are interacting with people, as opposed to a tax attorney or an attorney who deals in some other area of law,” he said. “I deal with individuals. My clients are individuals, not corporations— people with real problems, people with real jobs — I deal with them.”
The other members of the commission are Judge William Price, Michelle Schwerin, Mark Gaertner and Hassler.