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A group of local elected officials gathered in front of City Hall today to call attention to a bill in the Missouri legislature which seeks to give the City of St. Louis control over its police department—control which was taken away over 100 years ago during the time of the Civil War.
Those in attendance included: State Senator Maida Coleman, State Reps Talibdin El-Amin, Rodney Hubbard, and Jeanette Mott Oxford, Aldermen Terry Kennedy, Jeffrey Boyd, and Frank Williamson.
"The fact that only 17 percent of the Police Department’s 1,859 employees said they do not have confidence in Chief Joe Mokwa is hardly an indicator of any widespread discontent with his tenure," said the Mayor Francis Slay on his blog.
Of course, the mayor neglected to mention that the 48% turnout in the no-confidence poll was much higher than the 15% turnout in Slay's own 2005 primary victory.
Chris Goodson, president of the Board of Police Commissioners, which is appointed by the governor, told KWMU that despite frustration over staffing and pay, Mokwa is doing a good job.
"Leadership is going to have popular and unpopular decisions that comes with the job, but what we want to know is are you making the right decisions to provide the best public safety for the workers and the citizens of St. Louis," Goodson told KWMU.
Here's what we had to say at the time:
But the citizens of the City of St. Louis, which once again has earned the title of "most dangerous" in America, have little say in the running of their police department. Unlike most cities, the mayor does not hire or fire the chief of police. In fact, the chief is only accountable to the the police board, which is appointed by the governor and approved by the senate, both located in Jefferson City.The politics suggests the People have little control over the police. The crime statistics suggest the police have little control over the streets. And the mayor's statement shows the opinion of rank-and-file cops can (and will) be disregarded as easily as the opinion of the people they protect and serve.
The membership of the St. Louis Police Officers Association has voted "no confidence" in the leadership of Chief Joe Mokwa. But despite the lack of support among his officers and numerous scandals — including $40,000 stolen from a police station vault — the mayor and Mokwa's state-appointed bosses say they're staying with their man.
"The fact that only 17 percent of the Police Department’s 1,859 employees said they do not have confidence in Chief Joe Mokwa is hardly an indicator of any widespread discontent with his tenure," said the Mayor Francis Slay's blog.
Of course, the mayor neglected to mention that the 48% turnout in the no-confidence poll was much higher than the 15% turnout in Slay's own 2005 primary victory.
Chris Goodson, president of the Board of Police Commissioners, which is appointed by the governor, told KWMU that despite frustration over staffing and pay, Mokwa is doing a good job.
"Leadership is going to have popular and unpopular decisions that comes with the job, but what we want to know is are you making the right decisions to provide the best public safety for the workers and the citizens of St. Louis," Goodson told KWMU.
But the citizens of the City of St. Louis, which once again has earned the title of "most dangerous" in America, have little say in the running of their police department. Unlike most cities, the mayor does not hire or fire the chief of police. In fact, the chief is only accountable to the the police board, which is appointed by the governor and approved by the senate, both located in Jefferson City.
The politics suggests the People have little control over the police. The crime statistics suggest the police have little control over the streets. And the mayor's statement shows the opinion of rank-and-file cops can (and will) be disregarded as easily as the opinion of the people they protect and serve.
Cops Gone Wild(er): $40,000 Stolen from Police Station Vault
By Antonio D. French
Filed
Monday, September 17, 2007 at 9:30 AM
What's a few tens of thousands of dollars here and there? As long as you've got the unconditional support of your Board and the mayor.
It's good to be Police Chief Joe Mokwa.
Adding to the ever-growing list of scandals at Mokwa's police department (and reasons the chief should be held accountable to the people of this city, not a Governor-appointed board), the Post-Dispatchreports today that as much as $40,000 in cash has been stolen from the evidence room in the basement of St. Louis Police Headquarters.
Let me just skip to the end of this story before my head explodes from complete frustration: No one will be severely disciplined. Mokwa will keep his job. Slay and the police board will say how this actually adds to the level of confidence they have in him. And life will go on as usual in Crazy Town.
From the Post's story:
The department's internal auditors discovered the vault theft this summer. Those auditors were called in after a theft from one of three safes in the North Patrol Station on Union Boulevard earlier this year. That theft involved less than $500, sources said; a culprit has not been caught.
However, Mokwa took disciplinary action against several top assistants after that earlier theft was discovered. Assistant Police Chief Steve Pollihan received a written letter of reprimand; Lt. Col. Reggie Harris was given a day off without pay, and Capts. Steve Hobbs, Leman Dobbins and James Moran were all given two days off without pay.
A letter of reprimand? Two days off work? Oh, my! Now that's what I call cleaning house.
The St. Louis Police Officers Association is sending out "No Confidence" ballots to its 1,200 members this week to express their displeasure with the leadership of Police Chief Joe Mokwa.
Union leaders say the ballots should be returned and counted in about two weeks.
An off-duty Arnold police officer allegedly put a gun to a 21-year-old black man's head in the parking lot of a White Castle's in Florissant yesterday. The man said Officer Chris Hoelscher called him a nigger and threatened to kill him. Following his report, the Arnold police chief suspended Helsher. He resigned a few hours later.
Five Deputy Sheriffs from Jefferson County were suspended this week after being involved in an off-duty bar fight Wednesday night at the R-Place Bar & Grill in House Springs. According to the bar owner, the fight began between two women — one of whom came with the officers.
From the Post-Dispatch:
He said all of the officers were escorted out of the bar and a bartender observed them removing their rear license plates in the parking lot.
Moments later they came back into the bar, Gaulden said.
Anna Rankin, a bartender, said, "I told them 'I'm going to call the cops,' and they said, 'We are the cops.'"
And of course, a St. George police office was caught on tape this week by a young white guy threatening to trump up charges on him and "ruin your life" for not showing the officer the proper respect as he violated the young man's civil rights.
"Do you want to go to jail for some fucking reason I come up with?"
"Ever get smart mouth with a cop again and I'll show you what a cop does."
"Talk back again and I'll say you were resisting arrest or something. You want me to come up with something? I can come up with nine things."
"You want me to lock you up and show you that I'm right and you're wrong?"
Had a bad night? "Don't ever take it out on a cop. We'll ruin your career and life and everything you've got."
How about local control of our police department first? After all, that is where about a third of our city's annual budget goes. But then, why should city folks have any say over how one out of every three of our dollars is spent?
Perhaps Mayor Slay could be calling for local control of our schools — even mayoral control. No, wait. That's right, he was the one pushing for the state's Republican governor to take control of our $450 million-per-year school system.
Well, it's not like crime or schools have anything to do with the quality of life here in the city — at least not like the Arch grounds anyway!
As a matter of fact, we're so out of practice with controlling our own destinies around here, if the U.S. government did give up control of the Arch grounds, they should probably just turn it over to the State of Missouri.
At least that'll keep Hizzoner from building a parking garage or a Walgreens on it.
At a 1st Ward neighborhood meeting this morning, Mayor Francis Slay broke the news of the arrest of three youths in the shooting death of police officer Norvelle Brown.
While on leave from serving in Iraq, Army Specialist Anthony Collins says he was harassed and maced by a St. Louis police officer near his home in north St. Louis.
This video was produced and distributed by the ACLU of Eastern Missouri this week at its press conference on its new "Project Vigilant" initiative, which is arming residents of the Fairground Park neighborhood with video cameras to protect themselves from abusive cops.
EDITOR'S NOTE: WATCH THE LAST 40 SECONDS OF THIS VIDEO. IT APPEARS THAT THE TWO OFFICERS COME BACK TO INTIMIDATE (OR WORSE) THE VICTIM.
Click here to watch our earlier report on "Project Vigilant".
More than a year after it was first announced (and we reported it), the American Civil Liberties Union of Eastern Missouri today is launching its "Project Vigilant", which will arm residents of the Fairground Park neighborhood in north St. Louis with video cameras to protect themselves and their neighbors against abusive police.
"Project Vigilant levels the playing field," said Brenda Jones, executive director for the ACLU-EM who created the program.
"Police officers who know their misconduct will be reported and probably filmed might be less likely to abuse their authority. Project Vigilant is not and should never be perceived as an 'anti-police' program. In meetings with St. Louis Police Chief Joe Mokwa, we stressed that we are just as likely to catch the police officers in the course of positive behavior as well as negative. Our project is designed to give police officers more incentive to connect and communicate respectfully with the residents of the communities they patrol."
The program will be introduced during a news conference at 2:00 p.m. today at the ACLU-EM's new headquarters on 454 Whittier.
In what has become an almost annual event, the St. Louis Board of Aldermen today passed another resolution asking the State of Missouri to return to the City of St. Louis control of its police department.
Click here to read Alderman Terry Kennedy's resolution, which passed 22-1.
In this video from February 2006, Kennedy talked to PubDef.net about the need for local control.
Former Velda City police officer Lewis McGee and former detective Mark Winger both pleaded guilty last week to conspiracy to violate the civil rights of a jailed man.
According to the plea agreements, on July 31, 2006, Winger and McGee, while acting in their capacities as law enforcement officers, conspired to physically assault the victim who was being detained at the Northwoods Police Department.
While McGee held the victim on the ground with his foot, Winger struck the victim multiple times causing him bodily injury. McGee and Winger then made false statements to a special agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation to cover up their roles in the conspiracy and assault. Each defendant faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
"Any act of police misconduct threatens to undermine public trust in the worthy goals of law enforcement," said Wan J. Kim, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division.
"The overwhelming majority of law enforcement officers serve with great distinction under often difficult circumstances. Those who abuse their authority by breaking the laws they are meant to enforce will be vigorously prosecuted by the Justice Department."
The guilty plea resulted from an investigation by the St. Louis County Police Department and the St. Louis Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Rosen from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri, and Trial Attorney Edward Chung from the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice prosecuted the case.
In fiscal year 2006, almost 50 percent of the cases filed by the Criminal Section of the Civil Rights Division involved excessive force or law enforcement misconduct. Since fiscal year 2001, the Division has filed 25 percent more such cases and convicted nearly 50 percent more defendants in these cases than in the preceding six years.
Surprisingly under-reported over the weekend was the realization of every police officer's (and their spouse) nightmare: a crazed gunman intent on killing a cop — or having a cop kill him.
Friday night at approximately 10:00, while top Democrats were wrapping up their annual Jefferson-Jackson dinner at the Renaissance Grand hotel just a few blocks away, a city traffic cop was parked at the southwest curb on Pine at Memorial when suddenly, a Dodge Intrepid traveling south on Memorial rammed the police car.
According to the police report, the officer inside quickly reached for his radio and announced that he had been struck. As the "Officer in need of Aid" was relayed, 21 year-old Mohammad Khaled Alwadi stepped out of the car he intentionally hit the police car with and opened fire at the officer trapped inside.
The officer returned fire. As the suspect was standing near the injured officer’s car, another officer arrived and Alwadi began firing at that officer. He then ran north on Memorial and encountered another officer. The suspect fired three to four shots at that officer striking the passenger side of the police vehicle. That officer returned fire.
Police say Alwadi continued running north on Memorial towards the Peabody Building where he encountered more St. Louis cops and fired shots at them. The officers returned fire, killing the suspect.
Contrary to early media reports that there were two suspects, police now say Alwadi acted alone.
The name of the first police officer from the accident has not been released. He has only been identified as a 36 year-old male officer with 5 years on the Department. He was conveyed to the hospital and is in stable condition. No other officers or citizens were injured the incident.
The incident is being called a unfortunately successful attempt at "suicide by cop", as police report that members of Alwadi's family claimed that he had spoke of committing suicide just before ramming the police vehicle.
A group of SLPS students disrupted the meeting of the State Board of Education moments ago with chants of "no takeover!" The Board went into temporary recess while order was restored.
Capitol Police officers were attempting to restore order when they got into a confrontation with one student in particular. The young man darted from the room and was chased through the Harry S. Truman State Building before being caught and maced outside of the building.
An angry crowd gathered around and followed the officers as they handcuffed and dragged the boy into the lower levels of the building.
Check back later for video... Sent via BlackBerry from Cingular Wireless
BILL INTRODUCED TO RETURN LOCAL CONTROL OF POLICE DEPARTMENT
By Antonio D. French
Filed
Monday, February 12, 2007 at 5:42 PM
State Senator Maida Coleman and State Representative Robin Wright-Jones have introduced legislation that would return control of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department to the people of the City of St. Louis, ending nearly 150 years of state control.
"We think the local representative democracy, the Board of Alderman, should decide how the police department should be managed," said Coleman in a press release today. "St. Louis would be one of the last cities to return to local control of the police department of the cities where the state took control of the police during the Civil War era."
During the early days of the Civil War, the State of Missouri, like many other states, took control of its major city's police department. By the late 19th and early 20th Centuries, local control of police departments returned to most cities like Baltimore, Atlanta, and others, but the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department remains governed by a board appointed by the Governor to this day, just as when the state took control in 1861.
Senate Bill 486, proposed by Coleman and Wright-Jones, gives authority to create a police department to the St. Louis Board of Alderman. It would be up to the Board of Alderman to decide how the police department is managed. The legislation also preserves the salary and rank structure of the current police department to ensure a smooth transition.
"There is no reason why people from Joplin to St. Joseph have a say in how we run our police department," said Wright-Jones.
State Rep. Connie Johnson will be hosting a public forum to encourage open dialog with the Police Board on Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., in the auditorium of Northwest High School, 5140 Riverview Blvd.
The Forum will be co-hosted by the Northside Neighborhood Action Association, Area F Neighborhood Counsel, the Organization for Black Struggle, and the Urban Progressive Caucus.
This is the first of several forums being conducted by the Board of Police Commissioners; however this forum will focus specifically on the activity that has occurred in the Walnut Park and the Mark Twain Neighborhoods.
Walnut Park and Mark Twain are part of the 6th Police District where two new appointments have been made. Alfred Adkins is the new Major for North Patrol and Dan Isom is the new Captain. Both Akins and Isom, who are residents of the district, have previously worked in the District and will be in attendance at the forum.
Gov. Matt Blunt today appointed businessman Vince J. Bommarito to the St. Louis City Board of Police Commissioners.
According to the bio attached to the Governor's announcement, Bommarito is 75 years-old and the CEO of Tony's Restaurant, Inc. and a partner at America’s Center Catering Bommarito is also a member of the RCGA and the Downtown St. Louis Partnership.
Bommarito's appointment is subject to Senate confirmation for a term ending on Jan. 31, 2011. He replaces Michael Quinn whose term expired.
As tensions remain high between police and many of the city's youth over the shooting of 14-year-old Jeremy Robinson, the alderman of the ward where the shooting took place tells Pub Def that the F.B.I. will be launching its own investigation into the matter.
Alderman Jeffrey Boyd says that after several conversations with Police Chief Joe Mokwa and Police Board Chairman Chris Goodson, the Department has agreed to an independent F.B.I. investigation, while also conducting their own investigation of the shooting.
There are numerous different accounts of what happened Friday, December 29, in the 5500 block of Greer Avenue.
According to Mokwa, Robinson, an eighth-grader at Turner Middle School and a relative of 1st Ward Alderman Charles Q. Troupe, was a passenger in a rented pickup truck speeding through a residential neighborhood. He said the driver of the truck forced an unmarked patrol car on a sidewalk to avoid being hit. Police then began pursuing the truck, which soon crashed into a tree.
According to the police, after the crash, an officer approached the wrecked pickup as Robinson and the driver began to run. Robinson fell to the ground and pointed a .45-caliber pistol at the officer, Mokwa told the AP. He said the officer ordered Robinson to drop the weapon and then fired, killing him.
But some witnesses tell a different story.
Andre Jones, who lives two houses from the shooting site and heard the gunfire, told the AP, "I never heard them yell 'police' or 'stop.' It sounded like they just got out and mowed down the kid."
Neighbors told Channel 5 News that police ordered Robinson to the ground and shot him twice before planting a gun on his body, then shooting him four more times while on the ground.
There are also reports of officers using racial slurs over police radios when requesting backup at the shooting.
"Right now the community is really upset and concerned and there is a lot of mistrust as it relates to the police," Boyd told Pub Def. "I think there needs to be some transparency in this investigation."
"The FBI is a federal agency that is independent of the St. Louis Police Department so they will have no reason to cover anything up," said the alderman.
Boyd said the F.B.I. investigation will start immediately with Special Agent Roland Corvington leading.
At the same time, the police investigation remains ongoing with the officer who shot Robinson remaining on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation, which is standard procedure in such cases.
Click here to download Boyd's letter to Chief Mokwa.
In the same week that President George W. Bush finally realized that America is not winning the war in Iraq, Police Chief Jow Mokwa has apparently realized that he is losing the war against crime in St. Louis and he says he has a plan to address it -- but he isn't saying what it is. Not yet.
The Post-Dispatch's Tim O'Neil reports Mokwa told the Police Board yesterday that he is preparing a "major reorganization" of the department to fight an increase in crime that was outlined in a new FBI report.
"Mokwa did not provide details, but said after the meeting the reorganization would include new assignments for some ranking officers and some changes in unit structures. He said he will announce some of it before Jan. 1," reports O'Neil.
"Everything we are figuring on will be about combating crime ... and reducing crime," Mokwa said. "Throughout the nation, crime is going up, and we are never immune from that trend. Nobody wants St. Louis to become the crime epicenter."
At this point we can only hope that Mokwa's plan involves shuffling cops to put more of a police presence in those areas of the city where most of the violent crime is occuring.
UPDATE: Mayor Slay says the city will pay for the police departement to hire 40 new police officers. Again, no word on how (or where) these cops will be used differently.
According to crime statistics released by the FBI yesterday, the City of St. Louis -- already known as the "Most Dangerous City in America" -- is even more violent in 2006 than in 2005.
Comparing the first six months of the year:
Violent Crime: 2005 - 3,736 2006 - 4,119
Murders: 2005 - 60 2006 - 56
Forcible Rape: 2005 - 108 2006 - 179
Robbery: 2005 - 1,269 2006 - 1,416
Aggravated Assault: 2005 - 2,299 2006 - 2,468
Property Crime: 2005 - 19,055 2006 - 18,761
Burglary: 2005 - 3,327 2006 - 3,863
Larceny-Theft: 2005 - 11,664 2006 - 11,263
Motor Vehicle Theft: 2005 - 4,064 2006 - 3,635
Arson: 2005 - 245 2006 - 201
And now some commentary...
Since the State of Missouri, which through a governor-appointed police board runs St. Louis City's police department, is doing such a stellar job protecting our citizens, maybe now would be a good time to carry that model over to the public schools.
Or perhaps Mayor Francis Slay should fight as hard to bring control of our police force back to the local level, just like 99% of the police departments in America, so that we might hold our police chief accountable.
On a personal note, there was a period a few weeks ago when there was a shooting every day in my neighborhood for over a week. What elected official can I or my neighbors call to get recourse? None.
As a matter of fact, my alderman, 21st Ward Ald. Bennice Jones King, and the alderman of my neighboring ward, 27th Ward Ald. Greg Carter, both recently wrote letters to Police Chief Joe Mokwa pleading for him to do more to address the rampant drug-related crime in north St. Louis -- but to no obvious avail.
A drug dealer can operate freely on too many northside street corners. Next to zero police presence make too many neighborhoods the playgrounds of thugs and leave most of the residents as victims of urban terrorism, prisoners in their own homes.
But recent comments from the mayor's office and the police department seem to suggest we're on our own, that it's all our problem because "most" neighborhoods in the city are safe.
The mayor and the chief seem more concerned about defending our city's honor than its citizens.
BUSH IN THE STICKS -- Air Force One landed at the Springfield-Branson Airport yesterday at 6:55 p.m. carrying President George W. Bush, Karl Rove and the gang. According to Springfield's KY3, he is scheduled to speak at a campaign rally for Jim Talent at 9:20 this morning. The two will then head to an invitation-only rally at noon at Missouri Southern State University in Joplin.
JUDGE GETS A BREAK -- According to the Post-Dispatch, U.S. District Judge Charles A. Shaw has been cleared in a complaint filed earlier this year alleging he told 314 people at a local naturalization ceremony to vote for Congressman Lacy Clay. The Appeals Court ruled that there was not "sufficient evidence" to believe the incident actually happened.
Apparently the word of a Post reporter and 314 new Americans just doesn't cut the mustard.
THE MAYOR, THE CHIEF, and "THE SYSTEM" -- The Mayor and Police Chief Joe Mokwa were side-by-side this week defending their city's honor (if not their streets) from the label of "Most Dangerous City". But as the American Spectator observed yesterday, just a few days before, Mokwa was trying to explain why his department can't seem to keep this city safe -- it's the judges' fault!
Mokwa complained to the Police Board that his officers "keep re-arresting the same habitual criminals, whose presence keeps some neighborhoods in a crime rut and makes the job of officers more difficult and dangerous."
No wonder, the chief continued, "that it's difficult to make an impact on crime while there are so many predators on probation"...
The problem -- and more important, the solution -- is plain, noted one beleaguered police commissioner: "The police are doing desperate work on a nightly basis....The neighborhoods are crying out, but the judicial system is turning its back to them....We've got to demand stronger sentencing, stronger results. It's our judicial system that's letting the people down."
The police board blaming the judges? You know, in a place where elected officials were more accountable to the people, a police chief would be taking heat from his boss, the mayor. Or the circuit attorney would be taking heat from her boss, the people, for not getting tough sentences for hard offenders.
But in the City of St. Louis, "the man" blames "the system" for our dangerous predicament. And we just watch.
We observed back in January that the 20% increase in St. Louis' crime rate coincidently matched the proposed pay increase for Police Chief Joe Mokwa. Perhaps now that St. Louis has once again been crowned the most dangerous place to live in America, the Mayor and his fellow police board members will pay more attention to how and where Mokwa assigns St. Louis' finest.
St. Louis is more than just downtown. There are places in our city that have been completely left out of the revitalization occurring just a few miles away. And it is no coincidence at all that these are also the places where most of our young people are dying.
Also back in January, Mayor Francis Slay wrote on his blog, "as most of you know, many neighborhoods in the City are very safe places today. However, as the stats make too clear, a few neighborhoods are not."
Wouldn't it make sense then in the 10 months since those words were written that those "unsafe areas" would have seen a surge of police patrols, a strong and permanent presence of officers to show both residents and criminals that crime would no longer be tolerated?
But ask anyone who lives in the 5th, 6th, 7th, or 8th districts and they will tell you that has not happened.
Maybe it's as they say in national politics: We'd rather fight them over there than over here.
Could it be that the spirit of the Team Four Plan still exists in St. Louis? When faced with limited resources, protect downtown and the southern neighborhoods first?
True or not, when it comes to politics, crime, home-buying, home-building, and property values -- perception is reality. And the numbers don't lie.
What remains to be seen is who will accept responsibility and if the problem of "a few neighborhoods" will be seen as the problem of the entire city -- and indeed the entire region. Because it is.
UPDATE: Police Chief Mokwa was on the news Monday night responding to this "Most Dangerous" label. He said if you asked his officers, they would tell you St. Louis was a safe place to live.
Maybe he's forgotten those public meetings earlier this year on the issue of lifting the civilian residency requirement. Just behind the city's schools and affordable housing, "crime" was one of the most cited reasons Police Department employees gave for wanting to move out of the city.
The president of the St. Louis Police Officers Association, Kevin Ahlbrand, debated 6th Ward Alderman (and possible Aldermanic President candidate) Lewis Reed on the question of police residency last night.
The informational debate, which occured at a meeting of The Tilles Park Neighborhood Association, is largely moot since the state-appointed police board voted last week to significantly relax the ban just seven weeks before voters are scheduled to let their opinion be known on the matter in a non-binding referendum.
Reed joked that the debate took place on Ahlbrand's home turf, in SLPOA's hall in south St. Louis. Those in attendence -- including Ald. Jennifer Florida, state senate aide Harold Brown, mayoral aide Charles Bryson, and current Aldermanic Pres. Jim Shrewsbury -- also heard debates on the stem cell initiative and the proposed tobacco tax increase.
The Tilles Park Neighborhood Association will sponsor a State and Local Ballot Issues Forum tonight at 7 p.m. at the St. Louis Police Officers Association Hall, 3710 Hampton. The event is open to the public and will be moderated by Dave Drebes, publisher of the Arch City Chronicle.
Proponents and opponents of Constitutional Amendment 2 (the stem cell initiative), Constitutional Amendment 3 (the tobacco tax increase), the non-binding (and now irrelevant) police department residency referendum, Proposition B (the minimum wage increase), the proposed recreation sales tax, and the Charter Amendment to increase fines will be speaking on these issues.
UPDATE: More on tonight's line-up...
Constitutional Amendment 2 (stem cell): A representative for Missouri Coalition for Lifesaving Cures v. Dr. Rob Hanson, MD, PhD, Missourians Against Human Cloning.
Constitutional Amendment 3 (tobacco tax): Cindy Erickson, Committee for a Healthy Future v. Ron Leone, Missourians Against Tax Abuse.
Proposition B (minimum wage increase): Proponent Amy Blouin, Give Missourians a Raise.
Proposition P (city recreation sales tax): Proponent Charles Bryson, Office of the Mayor.
Four charter amendments: Neutral presentations by Board President Jim Shrewsbury.
Police Dept Residency Nonbinding Vote: 6th Ward Alderman Lewis Reed v. Kevin Ahlbrand, St. Louis Police Officers Association.
TPNA was unable to secure the ballot numbering on the city charter amendments. As of 8:40 a.m. this morning, the Board of Elections did not have sample ballots. Absentee balloting in Missouri began this morning.
The Police Board voted this morning to lift the residency requirement for civilian employees who have been with the department for seven continuous years.
Mayor Francis Slay had made a motion to table the vote until after the Nov. 7 non-binding referendum in which voters would let their preference be known in the matter, but the mayor's motion was not seconded by any other board member.
Video later...
UPDATE: Here are some clips from today's meeting. BTW, the final vote was 3-2 with Slay and JoAnn Freeman Murrow voting against -- though interestingly, Murrow did not second Slay's motion to table the vote.
Citing the city's budget woes, Chief Joe Mokwa recommended the police board table a proposed pay matrix for the police department employees. Police will still receive a 3% pay increase in January.
The state-appointed St. Louis Metropolitan Police Board will be meeting this morning at 9:30 a.m. at the department's headquarters, 1200 Clark Avenue. They are scheduled to vote on a proposal to change the residency requirement for civilian employees -- seven weeks before the public is allowed to let its feelings be known on this issue in a Nov. 7 non-binding referendum.
Board President Chris Goodson and Mayor Francis Slay (who as mayor is also a member of the board) have not responded to requests for comment on whether this action is further evidence that the police board has no accountability to the citizens of the City of St. Louis?
POLICE BOARD TO VOTE ON CIVILIAN RESIDENCY -- BEFORE VOTERS GET TO
By Antonio D. French
Filed
Monday, September 18, 2006 at 11:15 AM
On November 7, city voters are scheduled to vote on a non-binding referendum that would again let their feeling be known about the police department's residency requirement. But it appears the state-controlled police board won't be waiting to hear what voters have to say.
St. Louis Police Board President Chris Goodson has scheduled a vote this week on lifting the requirement for civilian employees to live in the City of St. Louis. The vote will be Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. at the department's headquarters, 1200 Clark Avenue.
We have requested comments from Goodson and board member Mayor Francis Slay, who told PUB DEF last month that he hoped the police board would wait until after the citizens were allowed to vote in November.
Slay said that referendum vote would be a "more accurate representation of what the people of St. Louis want" than the series of public meetings held by the board over the past few months.
VIDEO: Residency Supporters and Opponents Address Police Board
By Antonio D. French
Filed
Thursday, August 17, 2006 at 1:12 AM
Meeting tonight at the Tandy Center in north St. Louis, members of the St. Louis Police Board again heard from civilian employees of the department who want to be allowed to move out of the City of St. Louis. Board members also heard tonight from citizens who want all police employees to live where they work.
Jamilah Nasheed, who as a new State Rep will soon be representing the north St. Louis neighborhood where the meeting was held, spoke against lifting the residency requirement.
"I'm against any city resident that's on the city payroll to be living outside of the city," said Nasheed.
And in his first interview with PUB DEF, Mayor Francis Slay said he hopes the police board, which as mayor he is a member of, waits to decide on this issue until after city voters are again allowed to let their feelings be known through a non-binding referendum which will appear on the November ballot.
"Frankly, tonight there was a total of 13 people that testified. We have 350,000 residents in the City of St. Louis. I'm sure there's a lot more than 13 in this neighborhood alone that have an opinion on this issue," said Slay.
The St. Louis City Police Board will again be listening to opinions from the public about the residency requirement for civilian employees of the Department. But this time the board will be meeting in north St. Louis.
Tomorrow at 7:00 p.m., the Board -- which includes Mayor Francis Slay -- is supposed to meet at the Tandy Center, 4206 W. Kennerly, for its monthly meeting. Over the past few months, they have heard comments from groups in south St. Louis that were largely stacked with civilian employees and their families who mostly spoke in support of lifting requirement to live in the City of St. Louis.
Those opponents of the requirement point to the state of the city schools, the rise in property values, and even crime as reasons all employees of the Police Department should be able to move out of the city.
At past meetings, supporters of the current rule were often met with loud interruptions and booing from the audience. It will be interesting to see how different tomorrow's northside meeting will be.
Claire McCaskill's campaign announced today that she has received the endorsement of the Missouri State Fraternal Order of Police (FOP).
Law enforcement officers from the over 5,000 members of the FOP will join McCaskill and local Sheriffs for the official endorsement tomorrow at 2:15 p.m. in front of the Eagleton Federal Courthouse, 111 South 10th Street, in downtown St. Louis.
McCaskill, who is seeking to replace U.S. Senator Jim Talent, will also outline her plan to give local law enforcement the tools they need to "fight terrorism and make Missouri more secure."
The St. Louis Board of Police Commissioners will again hold its regular monthly board meeting away from the department headquarters. They are again meeting in the southern part of the city, tonight at 7:00 p.m., at St. Raymond’s Hall, 939 Lebanon. Attendees will have the opportunity to voice their concerns about the Department's civilian residency rule.
"I think this is a perfect opportunity to hear how the residents of St. Louis feel about civilian residency and it gives citizens who work during the day the opportunity to attend a board meeting and to express their concerns to the body that represents them," said Colonel Chris Goodson, President of the Board of Police Commissioners.
The Board's August meeting will be held at The Tandy Center, 4206 West Kennerly on Wednesday, August 16, 2006, at 7:00 p.m. Open Board meetings are normally held the third Wednesday of each month at 9:30 a.m. at Police Headquarters, 1200 Clark Avenue.
GRADUATION DAY The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department will be holding a graduation ceremony tomorrow for 19 new police officers. The event will be at Harris-Stowe State University starting at 7:00 p.m. The St. Louis Regional Chamber & Growth Association's (RCGA) Senior Vice President of Public Policy, Tom Irwin, will serve as the guest speaker at the ceremony.
ACT TWO The Police Board will hold a public meeting next week, July 19, at St. Raymond's Hall, 939 Lebanon, at 7:00 p.m. Once again, the board will be discussing the issue of the residency requirement for civilian employees. Observers can be sure to hear a chorus of whines and moans from disgruntled civil servants on everything from the poor state of the city's public schools to, most ironically, the high rate of crime. They might even boo more old ladies. The board will also hear for final approval, the order establishing Mayor Francis Slay's version of a civilian review board.
COME BACK WITH MY CAR! Early this morning, officers received an assignment to investigate suspicious persons in front of 3310 Nebraska. Upon arrival they located one male subject and two female subjects sitting in a van. The subjects were detained and an investigation was conducted. An investigation revealed that one of the female subjects was wanted for a probation violation. She was arrested, handcuffed and placed in the rear of the police vehicle. Seconds later, the woman slipped out of her handcuffs, climbed over the front seat and drove off in police vehicle. The vehicle was later located abandoned in the 900 block of Cherokee.
VIDEO: Committee Recommends Asking Voters Again About Police Residency
By Antonio D. French
Filed
Friday, June 30, 2006 at 5:18 PM
The legislative committee of the Board of Aldermen today recommended a board bill that would ask city voters whether they prefer police department employees to live in the city.
Board Bill #47 is sponsored by Aldermen Freeman Bosley, Sr. (3rd Ward), Ken Ortmann (9th), Stephen Gregali (14th), and Jennifer Florida (15th). It would put on the November ballot a question very similar to one voted on in April 1995. At that time, 68.36% of city voters answered yes to the following:
Shall commissioned police officers and civilian employees of the Metropolitan Police Department of the City of St. Louis be required to reside within the City of St. Louis just like other City employees?
The ballot language in November will be almost identical, except "just like other City employees" has been removed. During today's committee meeting, Alderman Fred Heitert (12th Ward), the Board's lone Republican, asked Ortmann why that wording was removed. See video:
Since the City of St. Louis funds the police department, but has no say over department policy and procedures, this vote would be non-binding. Supporters hope it will guide the decisions of the state legislature and the governor-appointed police board members.
The St. Louis Police Board held a public meeting tonight in south St. Louis. One of the things on its agenda was to hear public comments on the issue of maintaining a department policy requiring most civilian employees to live in the city.
The almost all-white audience was filled mostly with people supporting the idea that department employees should be able to live wherever they'd like. They pointed to the state of the city schools, the rise in property values, and even crime as reasons all employees of the Police Department should be able to move out of the city.
Only a handful of people spoke in support of keeping the requirement. One elderly woman said she felt safer with police living in her neighborhood. At the conclusion of her statement, she was booed by some in the audience. Another older woman said city jobs should go to city residents. She was also booed.
The St. Louis Board of Police Commissioners will be be holding a public meeting on the southside tonight in the Word of Life Lutheran School gymnasium, 6535 Eichelberger, at 7:00 p.m.
"I think this is a perfect opportunity to hear how the residents of St. Louis feel about civilian residency," said Chris Goodson, president of the police board, in a press release sent to media today.
"It gives citizens who work during the day the opportunity to attend a board meeting and to voice their concerns to the body that represents them,” said Goodson.
A district spokesperson said the board will also hold its July and August monthly meetings away from its usual location of the downtown police headquarters. No dates and locations for those meetings yet.
Committee pushes back vote on cop residency bill to June 30
By Antonio D. French
Filed
Tuesday, June 20, 2006 at 2:59 PM
The Legislation Committee of the Board of Aldermen met this afternoon to discuss a bill to again ask voters whether they prefer cops to be required to live in the city.
Board bill 47, sponsored by Aldermen Freeman Bosley, Sr. (3rd Ward), Ken Ortmann (9th), Steve Gregali (14th), and Jennifer Florida (15th), would be non-binding since by state law St. Louisans have no say over STLPD policies. Backers say it is meant simply to "assist the Missouri General Assembly in their deliberations regarding the residency requirement."
City voters approved similar language about ten years ago. Since then, the St. Louis Police Board, whose members (except for the mayor) are appointed by the governor, voted to allow some officers and civilian employees to move out of the city.
Today's meeting did not have the necessary quorum for a vote. The committee will likely vote to pass the bill out of committee on Friday, June 30.
VIDEO: CRB Flap Again Shows Police Should Be Under Local Control
By Antonio D. French
Filed
Monday, June 19, 2006 at 9:55 AM
Alderman Terry Kennedy (18th Ward) was the original sponsor of the bill that was passed earlier this year by the Board of Aldermen to create a civilian review board to investigate reports of abuses of power by city cops. Mayor Francis Slay vetoed that bill and proposed a weaker version, which the state-controlled police board approved.
Last week, we reported that supporters of Kennedy's bill noticed significant changes between the version the police board approved in public and what actually became policy with the signature of police board president Chris Goodson.
Kennedy sat down with PUB DEF to again express his belief that the citizens of St. Louis deserve the same right to control their police department just as citizens of most other American cities.
Condos owned by Police Board President Chris Goodson burned to the ground this morning. The fire at Mississippi Place Townhomes, located in south St. Louis at Lafayette and Mississippi, occured around the same time as a fire just a few blocks away at at Vail Place Townhomes on South 18th. Street.
Members of the Coalition Against Police Crimes and Repression (CAPCAR) held a press conference in front of City Hall yesterday to call attention what they claim are serious violations to the state's Sunshine Law by the St. Louis Police Board.
Jamala Rogers and John Chasnoff said that the version of a Civilian Review Board reflected in a General Order signed in May by Police Board President Chris Goodson is different from the one presented and approved at the board's April meeting.
The Coalition said these changes are significant, and that they were not made in an open meeting is a violation of Missouri's laws on open government.
"You can talk in detail about whether the changes improve the bill or weaken the bill," said Chasnoff. "But the fact that these are unauthorized changes is a slap in the face to open government."
CAPCAR noted 13 differences between the order signed by Goodson and what was agreed to at the April meeting. Among the most significant are changes to how the CRB can interact with witnesses to allegations of police misconduct and how board members can be removed.
The latter document inexplicably removes a clause that would allow the CRB, by a majority vote, to request the Chief of Police to allow one of its members to be present at an Internal Affairs interview of a witness to police brutality.
Also absent in the second document is the phrase "for good cause" in reference to how and why CRB members can be dismissed by the police board.
Richard Wilkes, spokesman for the police department, said these issues will be readdressed at the next police board meeting. He said that there was confusion in the department over what objections to the CRB that Chief Joe Mokwa raised in the public meeting and what changes he requested to the police board members in writing.
Chasnoff said that if that's true, it is possibly another violation of the Sunshine Law since that document was not made available to the public at the time of the meeting.
What is clear is that the differences between what was presented in public and what was ordered by the police board would likely have simply become law if not for the watchful eye of citizen activists like Chasnoff and Rogers.
Aldermen Freeman Bosley, Sr. (3rd Ward), Ken Ortmann (9th), Steve Gregali (14th), and Jennifer Florida (15th) have introduced a bill that would ask city voters whether they would prefer commissioned police officers and civilian employees of the police department to live in the city.
The vote would not be binding since the City has no control over its police force. Rather, the vote would be meant to "assist the Missouri General Assembly in their deliberations."
As you will recall, the state-controlled police board recently voted to allow all civilian employees to live outside of the city limits. After complaints from Mayor Francis Slay, who is a voting member of the board but was absent at the vote, the board limited that decision to just special tech employees.
The board had earlier voted to allow some veteran police officers to move out of the city.
Representatives of the St. Louis City Police Officers Association, the union representing most of the City's white cops, handed out certificates of recognition at Friday's Board of Aldermen meeting to the white aldermen that voted against the bill creating a Civilian Review Board (all of the board's black aldermen, plus 4 white alderman and Board Pres. James Shrewsbury, voted in favor of the bill, which was later vetoed by Mayor Francis Slay).
As Jake Wagman of the Post-Dispatchfirst reported on Friday, the original sponsor of the CRB bill, Ald. Terry Kennedy (18th Ward), was elected the new chairman of the Aldermanic Black Caucus, replacing Ald. Mike McMillan (19th Ward) who is now running for License Collector.
Two headlines on the Post-Dispatch's website today raise serious questions about the perspective of the paper's newsroom.
The first headline, "St. Louis Police Board approves plan for civilian review," leads readers to believe that "after about five years of community debate," the City's state-controlled police board finally caved in and created an independent board to investigate reports of police abuse. This is absolutely not the case.
Not only are the supporters of a CRB not satisfied with the police board's actions, but some have openly called for voters to punish Mayor Francis Slay for his veto of the compromise bill that took five years to finally be passed by the Board of Aldermen.
What's more, the Aldermanic Black Caucus has written a letter to Slay expressing their "deep disappointment" in his subsequent attempt to bypass the Board by submitting his own watered-down version of a CRB. It is that version that was approved today by the police commissioners.
Two other members, Ron Jackson and Robert Archibald, voiced opposition on each of Downs' motions. Three other members (Board Pres. Veronica O'Brien, Bill Purdy and Donna Jones) supported Downs. The other member, Flint Fowler, was silent during the debate and voted with the descenters.
The Post would have its readers believe that two members constitute the entire Board and that that board "clashed" with the one of its members. The fact is that each of Downs' motions passed by a vote of 4-3, with a clear majority supporting him.
UPDATE: The Post has published a new story on the civilian review board. The new one, written by Bill Bryan, begins with: "The St. Louis Police Board voted Wednesday to create a civilian review panel under terms that disappointed activists who wanted it to have more independence."
Bryan's story does quote people on both sides of the issue, including activists Jamala Rogers and John Chasnoff; Redditt Hudson, of the ACLU; Mayor Francis Slay; Police Chief Joe Mokwa; and Police Board President Chris Goodson.
The St. Louis Board of Police Commissioners is meeting this morning for the first time since Mayor Francis Slay vetoed the Aldermanic bill that sought to create a civilian review board to investigate reports of police abuse.
The board is expected to take up Slay's alternative proposal for a CRB. Members of the Coalition Against Police Crimes and Repression and supporters of the bill are expected to attend the meeting and voice their concerns about the mayor's veto.
UPDATE: The Police Board approved the Mayor's plan to establish his own version of a "civilian review board."
UPDATE 2: Members of the St. Louis Coalition Against Police Crimes and Repression (CAPCR) responded to the Police Board's approval of Slay's version of a civilian review board by saying the Mayor and the Commissioners were "out of touch with the community."
Mayor Slay vetoed a CRB bill (BB69FS) passed by the St. Louis Board of Aldermen last month saying it had "legal flaws" and was open to court challenges because he said it violated state law.
In a statement released after the unanimous vote by the St. Louis Board of Police Commissioners, CAPCR called the vote "a backward step" and said the Police Board’s CRB "is structurally weak and cannot be effective."
Jamala Rogers, co-chair of the coalition, said it is time for St. Louis City to fight for local control of its police department.
"Today’s actions by the mayor and the police board are the stuff that campaigns are made of," said Rogers. "First, we need a mayor who respects the entire city, who will fight for justice, and who will be responsive to the community decision-making process. We plan to help the city find such a mayor."
