ST. LOUIS – On Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025, the Missouri House of Representatives voted to overturn the will of the people of Missouri in order to take away local control of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and give it to a group of governor-appointed business owners who don’t live in the City. Mayor Jones issued the following statement:
"To this day, no lawmaker who supports state takeover of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department has been able to say how it would make the City of St. Louis safer," said Mayor Tishaura O. Jones. "They also cannot explain why they are so determined to overturn the will of nearly two-thirds of Missourians who voted for local control. Today's vote is politics at its worst. I'm thankful to Chief Robert Tracy and every member of the SLMPD for all the work they continue to do for the people of St. Louis.”
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House Bill 495 will now head to the Senate.
Further context
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The bill sponsor has said that this bill is “not a crime plan.”
This bill would remove local elected control and give it to an unelected board of “bona fide business owners” of a business located within 50 miles of the city - not necessarily city residents.
Crime continues on a significant downward trend in the City of St. Louis.
In specific neighborhoods where the Office of Violence Prevention, established by Mayor Jones in 2022, is combining outreach from trusted messengers with enforcement and resources, homicides are down more than 50% compared to the year before.
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