Saint Louis Mayor Francis Slay made an appearance in the seven o’clock news hour yesterday morning (Thursday, Aug. 21) on the Fox Two Network. During a powder-puff interview conducted by John Petzborn and Randi Naughton, the mayor addressed the issue of the St. Louis Board of Police Commissioners continuing their alleged “search” for a replacement chief of police from among the thirteen candidates recently identified in the media.
Slay wants a new chief of police as soon as possible. Responding to a “Why the hurry?” question, Slay regurgitated a well-worn political answer for all issues concerning the police department: Gotta have a permanent chief to fight crime and keep the citizens of St. Louis safe and restore faith and trust in the department. Blah, blah. Crime in the city is down, ya know, so Mokwa must have been doing a good job. He just got tangled in a little mess. Too bad he had to retire. Control tower to Mayor Slay: Another pilot for the “police plane” isn’t what’s needed right now. The engines are in flames and the wings are falling off! Those passengers with parachutes are using them! Passengers left on board will have a very rough landing. If the feds do a responsible job of investigating the Mokwa Motors debacle, they surely will go through the affairs of the police board, of which Slay is a member, with a fine-tooth comb. They also will comb through the affairs of nearly all police command personnel. Chances are very good that other commanders, politicians and business people are involved in the alleged criminal activities, which resulted in Mokwa’s early retirement. Is crime down in the city? Or is it reported crime that is down? Was Chief Mokwa a member of an organized crime family in St. Louis that, among other things, controls the police department? If two plus two still equal four, doesn’t it make sense that the pool of police command personnel is polluted? Why does Slay want to draw the next chief of police from that polluted pool? Why promote to chief a person who may serve only a short time before being indicted by federal prosecutors? Etcetera! Solution: Don’t be in a hurry! Appoint an interim chief from outside the department. Have that person serve throughout the federal investigation. Let the feds do their job and the chips fall where they may. Invite all personnel who come under suspicion in the investigation to either resign or retire. Yes, throw out the baby with the bath water! The “new broom” theory needs to be applied to St. Louis’ police department. Only then will the city’s blue-clad, urban warriors be able to recapture the faith and trust of the citizens they have sworn to serve and protect.