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Proposition A - Local Control Of The City Of St. Louis Police

The logo of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department as displayed on the side of a patrol vehicle.
(St. Louis Public Radio)
The logo of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department as displayed on the side of a patrol vehicle.

In the first of four discussions as part of our town hall meeting about statewide ballot issues we take a look at Proposition A, concerning local control of the City of St. Louis police department.

Host Don Marsh talks with Jeff Rainford, Mayor Francis Slay’s Chief of Staff for the City of St. Louis, and John Chasnoff, Program Director for the ACLU of Eastern Missouri.  Rainford supports Proposition A while Chasnoff opposes it.

Official Ballot Title: (source: Missouri Secretary of State website)

Shall Missouri law be amended to:

  • allow any city not within a county (the City of St. Louis) the option of transferring certain obligations and control of the city’s police force from the board of police commissioners currently appointed by the governor to the city and establishing a municipal police force;
  • establish certain procedures and requirements for governing such a municipal police force including residency, rank, salary, benefits, insurance, and pension; and
  • prohibit retaliation against any employee of such municipal police force who reports conduct believed to be illegal to a superior, government agency, or the press?

State governmental entities estimated savings will eventually be up to $500,000 annually. Local governmental entities estimated annual potential savings of $3.5 million; however, consolidation decisions with an unknown outcome may result in the savings being more or less than estimated.
The event is sponsored by Beyond November, a collaboration of St. Louis Public Radio, the Nine Network of Public Media and the St. Louis Beacon along with FOCUS St. Louis®

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Alex is the executive producer of "St. Louis on the Air" at St. Louis Public Radio.
Mary Edwards is a producer for St. Louis Public Radio's broadcast program, "St. Louis Symphony."
Don Marsh served as host of St. Louis Public Radio’s “St. Louis on the Air" from 2005 to 2019, bringing discussions of significant topics to listeners' ears at noon Monday through Friday. Don has been an active journalist for 58 years in print, radio and television. He has won 12 Regional Emmy Awards for writing, reporting, and producing. He is the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, was inducted into the St. Louis Media Hall of Fame in 2013, and named “Media Person of the Year” by the St. Louis Press Club in 2015. He has published three books: his most recent, “Coming of Age, Liver Spots and All: A Humorous Look at the Wonders of Getting Old,” “Flash Frames: Journey of a Journeyman Journalist” and “How to be Rude (Politely).” He holds an honorary Doctor of Arts and Letters degree from the University of Missouri-St. Louis.