Given that he was unopposed, Wesley Bell’s election as St. Louis County prosecutor on November 6 was no surprise, but he celebrated making history with supporters at the Acapulco Restaurant and Lounge in St. Ann on election night.
Only now is it official: when he is sworn in as soon as the new year dawns, Bell will become St. Louis County’s first black prosecutor.
Of course, Bell’s real victory came in the August 7 Democratic primary, when he crushed incumbent St. Louis County Prosecutor Robert P. McCulloch. McCulloch had served as prosecutor – and made enemies of blacks and progressives – for 27 years.
McCulloch’s notoriety went national due to his handling of the Darren Wilson grand jury and Ferguson, giving Bell’s primary campaign national attention, as well as furious local organizing. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Missouri, which does not endorse candidates, made an unprecedented effort to educate the public on McCulloch’s record of holding people with misdemeanor offenses who could not post cash bail and the meager results of his diversion program for drug offenders that he initiated after Ferguson.
Bell’s general election victory without an opponent on the ballot was so assured that he has been working on making his transition to running the office since August, with the help of just about everybody except McCulloch. Though no one from McCulloch’s office has reached out thus far during this time of transition, Bell expects contact will be made now that he actually has been elected.
Bell told The American that he has been meeting with and listening to stakeholders (other than McCulloch) in order to “hit the ground running” after he is sworn in.
“We are trying to meet with as many stakeholders, community members, organizations to help us develop policies, to help us develop the philosophies that we need when we walk in that door,” Bell said.
Michael A. Wolff, former Missouri Supreme Court chief justice, chairs Bell’s transition team.
Bell’s team has also been meeting with the police departments across the county that will soon be bringing him cases.
“St. Louis County is kind of unique with 88 municipalities and 54 police departments. We’ve met at least over half of them so far – a good number of chiefs, a good number of command staff, and even some of the rank and file,” Bell said.
“I’ve been straightforward about what my policies are, why they are, but I will tell them that ‘I’ll give you the opportunity to keep the lines of communication open so that you can give your input.’”
Bell’s message is simple: customer service.
“We’re going to focus on customer service and make our office officer-friendly, but in exchange we want them to propagate through the rank and file the need for customer service when they go out into the community and deal with our citizens,” Bell said.
“That message has been sent and received.”
Bell also has been visiting other cities with progressive diversion programs that treat rather than incarcerate nonviolent offenders with drug problems.
“I believe in diversion. I believe in drug treatment to give non-violent offenders the second chance, the tools they need, the treatment they need,” Bell said.
That is, exactly as McCulloch failed to do, as the ACLU documented.
“Far too often in our criminal justice system, letting people off easy is giving them a conviction and probation,” Bell said.
“But that starts them down that cycle of not being able to get a job, not being able to get back to school, not being able to get the housing and, eventually, end up in incarceration. And we’re going to stop that. We’ve got to stop that.”
