The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department is getting an infusion of $68 million in federal funds.
“We’re here today to lend our support to the state and city as they work to reduce violent crime which has burdened the residents of St. Louis for far too long,” U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche said Monday in unveiling the grant, part of the Model Cities Initiative. “Over the past year, the city has made steady progress in reducing crime. We’re on the right path, and we’re looking forward to continuing the downward trend.”
The money, which will be distributed over the course of three years, will go to recruitment bonuses, work on a critical radio tower and additional technology like the department’s new drone as first responder program. The money will supplement the current annual police budget of $220 million.
St. Louis is one of four cities getting a Model Cities grant of 47 that applied. Some local governments balked due to language in the application that requires the city to “commit to working closely with, and, as appropriate, receiving direction from DOJ on the planning and initial/ongoing implementation of any initiatives” that happen as a result of receiving Model Cities funding.
Some officials worried that language could force them into stricter immigration enforcement. Police Chief Robert Tracy said nothing in the application gave him pause.
“I work with all of our federal agencies each and every day,” he said. “I’ve done all these surges. I work with these task forces. They work within our methodology and our type of plan that’s set forth by this chief.”
Tracy said the funding will also go to public safety initiatives outside of law enforcement.
“We’re going to start working with other partners to make sure that we can be a great partner, not just making arrests, but also helping people out of some of the crises that they’re in,” he said.
The misuse of police technology like Flock cameras has come under heightened scrutiny, with more cities and departments eliminating the tools. A recent executive order from Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe sets data retention limits and prohibits combining artificial intelligence facial recognition technology with automated license plate readers, and Kehoe said after the grant announcement Monday he was confident the guardrails were enough.
“I’ve said many times, law enforcement always has had technology that’s better than the average person walking down the street,” he said. “They have to use that technology appropriately and can’t abuse it.”
Mayor Cara Spencer, who is in Kigali, Rwanda, on the first leg of a trade trip, was critical last week of the city’s lack of involvement in the application. Although the department is under control of a state-appointed Board of Police Commissioners, the city still processes its payments.
Tracy has promised that the city would be involved as the money is received.
Republished with permission as part of a content sharing partnership between The St. Louis American and St. Louis Public Radio. Click here to view original story.