Mayor Jones says her spending plan will allow the city to defund the Medium Security Jail also known as the Workhouse and move about $4 million to other services.
St. Louis Public Radio
The budget sent to the St. Louis Board of Aldermen on Thursday cuts 98 vacant positions from the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department.
The $4 million in savings would be directed toward victims services, affordable housing, homeless services and a legal department to prosecute civil rights violations.
Updated at 1:50 p.m., April 29, with comments from the St. Louis Police Officers Union representative
The board that oversees the St. Louis budget has voted to cut nearly 100 vacant positions from the police department and direct the money elsewhere.
Mayor Tishaura Jones and Comptroller Darlene Green supported the changes at the Board of Estimate and Apportionment on Thursday. Board of Aldermen President Lewis Reed voted against the plan, citing concerns with overtime costs.
April 25, 2021
On Friday, the high-crime city of St. Louis’s Board of Estimate and Apportionment asked Budget Director Paul Payne to research eliminating 150 vacant police officer positions from the city’s budget to pour the money into social service programs.
The board includes Mayor Tishaura Jones, Board of Alderman President Lewis Reed and Comptroller Darlene Green.
About 40 people made public comments during the two-hour meeting, including many who called for the elimination of the entire police budget.
One woman said to continue to fund the police department would be to continue to fund “state sanctioned murder.”
Several other people suggested the elimination of the department’s audio detection equipment known as the Shotspotter system, SWAT team and the Real Time Crime Center that tracks hundreds of surveillance cameras throughout the city and other intelligence efforts.
Idea to divert funding away from the police department floated during Board of Estimate and Apportionment meeting Author: Christine Byers (KSDK) Updated: 8:07 PM CDT April 23, 2021
ST. LOUIS How much money could the city divert into social service programs to address the root causes of crime by eliminating the approximately 150 vacant police officer positions from the city’s budget?
That’s a question the Board of Estimate and Apportionment asked Budget Director Paul Payne to research Friday during its meeting.
The board includes Mayor Tishaura Jones, Board of Alderman President Lewis Reed and Comptroller Darlene Green.
About 40 people made public comments during the two-hour meeting, including many who called for the elimination of the entire police budget.
Former St. Louis Police Chief Dan Isom has been tapped as the Interim Public Safety Director Author: Christine Byers (KSDK) Updated: 12:38 PM CDT April 23, 2021
ST. LOUIS Newly-elected St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones has named key members of her Public Safety team – and one of them will be making more money than her.
Former St. Louis Police Chief Dan Isom has been tapped as the Interim Public Safety Director – which means all of the city s public safety apparatus including the fire chief, police chief along with the Division of Corrections Commissioner and the Emergency Communications Division will answer to him.
To take on this task in the most violent city in the country, Isom will be paid $218,000 annually – the same salary as his predecessor, retired Judge Jimmie Edwards.