More endorsements of local control of St. Louis police, Nixon comments on issue

 A Safer Missouri, a group in favor of local control of the St. Louis Police Department, announced three additional entities today which have endorsed local control:

• FOCUS St. Louis, a non-profit group promoting regional solutions in the St. Louis area.
• Civic Progress, an organization of chief executives of approximately 30 of the St. Louis region’s largest businesses and employers.
• Regional Business Council, a consortium of the presidents and CEOs of 100 of the region's largest mid-cap companies.

Missouri Governor Jay Nixon also spoke about the issue of local control today.

According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Nixon said that he is concerned about the political consequences:

"Primarily, the governor said, he feared that the motivations for local control were about politics, not proper governance," the newspaper reported. Nixon continued:

"'I kind of err on the side of change when you need change,' Nixon said. 'I'm not saying I couldn't see a way to do it, but I haven't been convinced about what you get.'"