Mayor, police board control department budget
By Bill Beene Of the St. Louis American
The St. Louis Police Officers Association’s decision to poll its members for a “no-confidence” vote regarding City Police Chief Joe Mokwa last week has more to due with politics within the association than the performance of the chief, according to a veteran of the force.
The St. Louis Police Officers Association is the bargaining unit for the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. Its website says the association will poll its 1,200 members regarding their confidence in the chief based on Mokwa’s alleged “objection to staffing two officer in every patrol car” and “refusal to recognize that the department is dangerously understaffed, forcing younger, more inexperienced officers to face potential life-threatening situations solo.”
Though the decision to poll the membership generated substantial media coverage, Sgt. Kevin Ahlbrand, current president of the association, told the American yesterday that ballots regarding Mokwa had not yet been distributed to its members.
Ahlbrand said that membership currently is voting on executive officers, including president, a post Ahlbrand will relinquish; four other candidates have filed. According to Officer Eddie Simmons Jr., president of the Ethical Society of Police, the poll on Mokwa has everything to do with the competition for president of the association.
Simmons said that the poll of Mokwa “is coming from (Sgt.) Gary Wiegert,” a past president of the association who is standing for president in the current election.
“Wiegert wants to flex his muscle and show he isn’t in the chief’s pocket,” Simmons said.
Simmons’ group, the Ethical Society of Police, is a fraternal police organization that includes more than half of the department’s black officers. It often takes issue with the Police Officers Association, sometimes referred to inaccurately as the “white union.”
“The things they are asking for, they need to take to the mayor and the police commissioners,” Simmons said of the association.
Ahlbrand acknowledged that the association’s executive board had “a spirited discussion” regarding the decision to poll its members on Mokwa and only Mokwa.
“We recognize (Mokwa) is not completely responsible and doesn’t have total control, but we’re not that happy with the mayor or Board of Police Commissioners either,” Ahlbrand said.
Mokwa said he’s aware of the election within the association but doesn’t know what role it plays in the decision to poll members regarding confidence in his leadership. He said he is disappointed that the association would take this approach as a means of voicing their concerns regarding pay and staffing.
“I want to send a clear and unwavering message that I’m committed and hopeful we will see an increase in staffing and pay in months to come,” Mokwa said.
Last year, Mokwa worked with the police commissioners and City government to get the Missouri Legislature to modify how department compensation is authorized.
As a result, the Legislature is no longer required to sign off on raises. This is now handled solely between the commission and the mayor’s office.
“We did that last year, but we have not been successful in receiving the budget funds for adequate pay raises,” Mokwa said.
As for one-officer patrols, Mokwa said most of the commanders in the nine police districts have two-officer vehicles engaged in proactive policing and attacking problems in the neighborhoods.
Mokwa said, “Those decisions resulted in some police cars having one officer, and unless we have significant investment in our budget it would be impossible to staff all of our vehicle with two officers – as much as I would like to.”
Chris Goodson, the president of the police board, to which Mokwa reports, told the American, “We have complete confidence in our chief, and he’s doing a good job.”
Goodson described the murder of rookie Officer Norvelle T. Brown, which the association seized as an occasion to air its grievances regarding staffing and pay, as “a tragedy.”
Simmons also endorsed Mokwa – and expressed disgust over the association’s politicizing the death of Officer Brown.
“We have more access to this chief as African Americans than ever before, and I’ve been here 24 years,” Simmons said.
As for the Police Officers Association, Simmons said, “They have never addressed the issue of race within the police department, and now they want to speak up for a black kid to get what they want. It’s sickening.”
