Guest Columnist John Chasnoff
Senate Bill 785 was heard before a State Senate committee in Jefferson City
on Wednesday, January 30. The bill, sponsored by Senate Minority Leader Maida Coleman, calls for a return to local control of the St. Louis Police Department. Currently, St. Louis and Kansas City are the only two cities in the nation that do not control their own police. These two departments are controlled by the State.
In introducing the bill, Coleman quoted Thomas Jefferson’s principle that government is best when it is closest to the people.
Two members of the Coalition Against Police Crimes and Repression spoke next. This group has been in the forefront of this issue for several years. They stressed the non-responsiveness of a police department which is not directly accountable to its citizens. They outlined ways in which all other cities have found the proper balance whereby the police are shielded from undue political influence but still responsive to local needs. They also debunked the myth that the police pension fund is somehow vulnerable under the new plan.
John Scott, former senator and currently a lobbyist for the City of St. Louis, also spoke adamantly in favor. He pointed out that none of the out-state senators would appreciate a bill which called for their municipal police to be taken over by the State.
Next, seven St. Louis Alderpersons made a dramatic appearance. On hand were Alderpersons Terry Kennedy, Marlene Davis, April Ford-Griffin, Kacie Starr Triplett, Frank Williamson, Jeffrey Boyd and Sam Moore. Kennedy described the difficulties of running a city when a major part of the city government is beyond the control of City leadership. Many people come to the alderpersons with police-related problems, he said, only to be told that the alderpersons can not adequately help resolve the issue. He told state Senator Harry Kennedy, the most vocal of those opposed to the bill, that St. Louis citizens could not easily seek redress from a state Legislature which was too far removed from the situation.
Boyd stated that over 25 percent of the City budget goes to police. He called the status quo an injustice. The time has come, he declared, for a righting of that wrong. Boyd insisted that St. Louis was not a political plum to be used for power politics; the lives of over 300,000 people are being affected.
The ACLU also spoke in favor of SB 785.
Representatives of two groups spoke in opposition. Sgt. Gary Wiegert of the St. Louis Police Officers Association expressed concerns that new hires might be kept out of the pension plan. This worry, Coleman responded, has been laid to rest by a written legal opinion from the Senate’s nonpartisan legal department. Finally, a spokesman for the St. Louis Police Leadership Council stated that Police Board members are already St. Louis citizens and act in a professional manner.
Police Chief Joseph Mokwa was in Jefferson City the day of the hearing, lobbying on several bills involving police matters. However, he made no appearance at the hearing for SB 785, either to speak for or against it.
An identical version of SB 785 is being filed in the state House of Representatives by state Rep. Talibdin El-Amin.
John Chasnoff is a spokesperson for the Coalition Against Police Crimes and Repression, which advocates for local control of the City police.