Proposed State Takeover of St. Louis Police Faces Resistance in Mo. Senate

JEFFERSON CITY, MO — A plan to place the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department under state control hit the floor of the Missouri Senate on Tuesday, running into resistance.

The proposal was rolled out before the entire Senate as part of a wide-ranging crime bill that also seeks to address stunt driving, organized retail theft and more.

But after about four hours of discussion on Tuesday, the Senate paused debate on the legislation and adjourned for the day without taking a vote.

The proposal would place control of the police department in the hands of a five-member board. The governor would appoint four of the members while the mayor would hold the fifth seat.

St. Louis Mayor Tishaura O. Jones, a Democrat, has fiercely opposed the legislation in past years. But the takeover has seen new momentum with the swearing-in of new Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe, who considers it a priority.

State Sen. Nick Schroer, a Defiance Republican and sponsor of the plan, said Tuesday his bill placed the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department where it belongs: “under the management of the citizens that it serves, rather than hyper-partisan politicians.”

But state Sen. Karla May, D- St. Louis, called the plan “recklessly disrespectful.”

“You’re talking about taking politics out, no you’re adding politics in,” she said.

The legislation debated on the Senate floor on Tuesday would give fraternal organizations such as the St. Louis Police Officers Association and Ethical Society of Police significant input in selecting a majority of the board.

Under the plan, the governor would have sole discretion to choose one member of the board. The mayor would fill the second seat.

For the final three seats, panels of nominees would be presented to the governor for the governor’s selection.

The panels would be made up of up to five candidates: one would be chosen by the mayor, and up to four by the fraternal organizations or their successors.

The panels would be advisory. If the governor doesn’t select someone from the panel, the legislation would allow the chief executive to pick “any city resident.”

In addition, the citizen commissioners would be required to live within the city of St. Louis or would need to be a “bonafide business owner” of a business located within 50 miles of the city boundaries and a Missouri resident.

The state takeover legislation included a set of other crime-related proposals.

The bill requires law enforcement agencies to report to the state Department of Public Safety "information pertaining to the immigration status of any criminal offender."

The legislation also would ban “injection sites” for people to use “pre-obtained controlled substances,” prohibits stunt driving connected to street takeovers, increases the penalty for rioting, and more.

The legislation is Senate Bills 44 and 52.

Ezra Bitterman of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.

Governor Kehoe calls for state takeover of St. Louis police

Missouri governor Mike Kehoe said the state should control the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department to encourage growth in the city during his State of the State address on Jan. 28, 2025.

House committee OKs state takeover of St. Louis police. Mayor and lawmaker trade barbs.

State Rep. Brad Christ says Mayor Tishaura O. Jones is injecting politics into policing. She says he’s pushing a political plan.

Kehoe calls for state funding of voucher program, takeover of St. Louis police

The Missouri governor said that to expand school choice, legislators should also approve open-enrollment legislation that would allow students to transfer to schools in districts where they don’t reside.

Keep local control of police, St. Louis mayor tells GOP lawmakers

Tishaura Jones warns lawmakers that a takeover would undermine city’s progress on crime. But Gov. Mike Kehoe and Republican lawmakers are pushing for state control.

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