The St. Louis Board of Aldermen on Tuesday advanced a bill that attempts to resolve a lawsuit over the city’s Civilian Oversight Board for the St. Louis Police Department.
Lawmakers last year gave the oversight board the authority to investigate all internal police investigations that deal with misconduct or use of force.
The three police unions sued, including the Ethical Society of Police which represents Black officers and staff, saying the changes conflicted with state laws governing police discipline and civilian oversight boards.
A judge agreed and blocked the city from moving forward with those changes, although he allowed the portion setting up civilian oversight of the city’s jail to take effect.
The new measure attempts to address the specific concerns raised in the lawsuit, said Alderwoman Shameem Clark Hubbard of the 26th Ward.
“This is not against the police department,” she said.
“Our communities and our citizens have fought for civilian oversight for over 20 years. This is about moving it forward the best way that we can do it and coming to a happy medium.”
16th Ward Alderman Tom Oldenburg remained opposed.
“These are the stumbling blocks that happen often when we don’t come to the table with the police department and the union members to fully work together,” he said.
Following the video release of five Memphis police officers fatally beating Tyre Nichols and subsequent murder charges, St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones said she continues working to seat the board.
“When we say that Black Lives Matter, it affirms our shared humanity that police mercilessly denied Tyre Nichols. Community trust is necessary to make our neighborhoods safer, and the incident in Memphis tragically reminds us that we still have a lot of work to do,” she said in a statement.
“Last year, I worked with the Board of Aldermen to pass a new ordinance to strengthen civilian oversight of our public safety departments. While it currently faces a challenge in court, this will not stop me from continuing to advocate for police accountability in St. Louis.”
St. Louis Public Radio reported in July 2022 that Hubbard had been crafting the bill since May 2021, The approved legislation created the Detention Facilities Oversight Board.
It moved that board, and the Civilian Oversight Board, which helps investigate police misconduct, under the supervision of a commissioner of civilian oversight, and gives them more responsibilities and powers.
They would remain in the Department of Public Safety, which also includes the police department and corrections.
The measure would also give Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner authority to set up a public integrity unit, which would investigate police misconduct, including officer-involved shootings.
Gardner first sought that authority in 2017, her first year in office. She was re-elected in 2021.
“Our constituents deserve this trust-building document, this trust-building policy, to continue to move,” Hubbard said in July.
Ward capital changes
The board on Tuesday defeated an effort to distribute funds for ward projects based on need, rather than equally among the wards.
Current legislation allocating sales taxes for capital needs distributes the money among 28 wards. With ward reduction taking effect in April, that language had to be adjusted.
A proposal backed by Green would have divided 70% of the money collected per year by 14. But the remaining 30% would have been distributed based on a variety of factors such as household income, the poverty rate and the size of the ward.
But by an 18-6 vote with two voting present, the board adopted an amendment from Oldenburg that eliminated the language related to needs.
This article was originally published in St. Louis Public Radio.
