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02.01.2008 10:35 am

Blue wall: St. Louis lawmakers push for police control

By Jake Wagman
St. Louis Post-Dispatch

A group of St. Louis aldermen were in Jefferson City this week, pushing to return control of the police department to City Hall.

Students of St. Louis history know that the department has been run by a state-appointed board since the Civil War - and city officials have been fighting it almost as long.

This year, State Sen. Maida Coleman is sponsoring a bill that would take city police out from under the thumb of Jefferson City, abolishing the governor’s power to appoint the Board of Police Commissioners that call the shots at 1200 Clark.

But although seven aldermen - a quarter of the board - took a van to the capital to support Coleman’s bill, getting the legislation moving will be tough. The Local Government Committee, which held a hearing on the bill Wednesday, may or may not act on the plan before the end of session.

Clearly, gaining control of the police department presents a formidable political challenge. The key question: Why would the state chose to relinquish some of its power?

Jefferson City has little to gain by giving the police department back to the city, and St. Louis lawmakers lack the leverage to force a play.

Still, city officials are going to keep trying. State Rep. Talbdin El-Amin, who is planning to introduce a House companion to Coleman’s bill, is hosting a press conference Monday hoping to gain momentum on the issue.

The event will be on the steps of City Hall — a fitting venue because if St. Louis is to regain control of the police department, it will be an uphill climb.

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Blog Comments: Rules of the Road

What?

The Slay family needs more money/control?

Leave it with the state… after all, we see what a great job ol’ Slay has done with the Fire Department

— tsquare
1:18 pm February 1st, 2008

If the city wanted to accomplish this, they should have done it when Democrats controlled the state legislature. If Democrats wouldn’t help out fellow Democrats, why do they think that Republicans would do it?

— Nick Kasoff
1:39 pm February 1st, 2008

Tsquare - I didn’t see Slay’s name mentioned anywhere in the above posting. If you’ll notice, it is Maida Coleman and Talbdin El-Amin that are pushing for this. They have a personal agenda when it comes to the police department. You can’t see that?

Control should stay with the state as it is a little more neutral than the city politicians.

— Renee
3:05 pm February 1st, 2008

Do all of you cynics know that the only two police departments in the COUNTRY that are run by their respective state governments? Look mayor’s feather their beds in every city, blah, blah, blah. It’s about time that the jurisdiction that pays for the PD should have control over it. LET THE STATE PAY FOR THE POLICE IF THEY WANT TO CONTROL THEM.

“The key question: Why would the state chose to relinquish some of its power?”
??????????????????????????

How ’bout …. “What legitimate reason do rural Republicans have to control our police?”

“Control should stay with the state as it is a little more neutral than the city politicians.”
THE STATE IS A LITTLE MORE NEUTRAL? Brilliant.

— A. Noni Mouse
4:02 pm February 1st, 2008

Noni - Let me spell it out for you. In the city of St Louis it is about race and hatred for the police. Why do you think Coleman and El-Amin are pushing for this? The state IS a little more neutral.

— Renee
5:43 pm February 1st, 2008