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Missouri last ruled the St. Louis police was just before the start of the Civil War, when the state’s separatist leaders were trying to prevent police officers from taking weapons against the Confederate forces.
The law that put the police department under state control was in effect for the next 152 years. In November 2012, nearly two-thirds of voters approved statewide voting measures promoted by police reform activists and elected officials, restored local governments and placed departments under the mayor’s jurisdiction.
Now, the state’s Republican governor and GOP-led legislature are pushing to take over the St. Louis Police Department once again. They argue that democratically run city governments are responsible for lowering executive morale, and statistics showing a decline in crime are inaccurate.
The Missouri home voted 106-47 last week to transfer control this summer to a state-appointed board of directors from the city. The five-person committee consists of the mayor and four commissioners, appointed by the governor, and will essentially leave the governor with the vote to control the police station.
The state Senate is debating the measure, but no votes are scheduled yet.
More than a decade ago, attempts to reverse measures overwhelmingly approved by state voters have been part of a broader pattern of Missouri’s conservative-led government that seeks to override voter will, and are trying to approve procedures whether voters are trying to approve constitutional amendments last year or a constitutional award, as they abolish voter-approved re-inspections.
State acquisitions of metropolitan police stations are rare. Kansas City, Missouri, remains the only major US city with police under the control of the state. The arrangement records the date of the reconstruction as Missouri legislators take over its overseer role, aiming to limit the political influence of black people.
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After a brief return to local control in the 1930s, the state reasserted its authority over the Kansas City police, undermining Tom Pendalgast, a political boss who used the division for sponsorship and election fraud.
Baltimore recently regained control of the police department after 160 years of state control.
Republican-led states are stripping control of other aspects of government from local leaders in other cities with a majority black population. In Mississippi, authorities have expanded jurisdiction over government buildings to the residential and commercial areas of Jackson, the state’s capital. They also established a national court that increased funding for appointed judges and police while the Black-led Jackson Police Department struggled to answer calls.
Texas and Missouri have intervened with local schools and city governments, leading to disputes over local control, but these acquisitions are generally temporary and have a path to rehabilitating local governments. In Tennessee, the state secretary supported local officials taking over the majority of Mason cities after they agreed to help accredited public accounts or law firms complete a town audit, balance the budget, and balance officials on the proper use of tax revenue. It also happens in states led by Democrats, but not too often.
Sandhiya Kajeepeta, a senior researcher at Thurgood Marshall Institute at the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, said:
Some St. Louis leaders believe that it reflects the 19th century effort to limit the political power of black people. They argue that a majority of white, conservative government is once again working to remove authority from local officials and reduce the impact of black people on police.
State Sen. Carla May, a Black Democrat from St. Louis who opposed the push for state control, said the plan was no coincidence that it became an urgent matter for lawmakers, and that it was moving forward during the time of black Mayor Tishaura Jones.
In May, the St. Louis Police Officers Association, a collective bargaining unit for city police officers, said it “doesn’t want to be ruled by an African-American mayor.” Union representatives did not respond to requests for comment.
A spokesman for Jones did not make her available for interviews. However, the mayor said in an emailed statement, “I don’t want Republican lawmakers to give Black women, a Democrat’s credit to dramatically reduce crime, increase executive payments, and build successful public safety programs.” She said that advocates of state control have never explained how public safety can be improved.
The push to control the St. Louis police is a top priority for Gov. Mike Kehoe, a newly elected Republican with national addresses framing economically. He said it is important whether the business felt “safe enough to invest in our city.” White Kehoe frequently calls upbringing in St. Louis to promote state control.
Rep. Brad Christ, a white Republican from the southwestern suburb of St. Louis, a House sponsor of the measure, argues that calling his proposal “state control” is misleading because the governor’s appointees will need to live in the city for at least three years.
He said efforts to bring police back to the state predates Jones’ term as mayor. A Black Democrat in St. Louis introduced a similar bill that stagnated in the House in 2019 during the time of white mayor Leida Crewson. In the text, Christ said this was “clear evidence that the wild claim that this effort is a race motivator is completely wrong.”
The Police Ethics Association, a group representing Black police officers in St. Louis, is also supporting the state’s acquisition. That president, Donnell Walters, wrote in 2023 with Republican Secretary Jay Ashcroft, calling for national control and claiming mismanagement and low morale under city control.
Walters did not reply to a message seeking comment.
Heather Taylor, a retired sergeant who led ESOP from 2015 to 2020 and later criticised the mayor and department on social media, before resigning in 2023, said she was worried that she was under state control. However, she believes that ESOP members don’t think cities are urgent to provide basic support to executives, and that states may do a better job of addressing those needs.
Jones has repeatedly pointed to city crime data since he hired Robert Tracy as police chief two years ago. In particular, the city’s total murders plummeted.
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However, many argue that city statistics on other types of crime do not reflect St. Louis’ sense of lawlessness. Ness Sandoval, a professor of sociology and demographics at St. Louis University, has studied crime trends and said the city believes crime is underreported and lacks transparency. “Most people who rely on data believe that there should probably be an asterisk,” he said. Jones stood behind the crime count, saying they were accurate.
Still, the mayor and her police chief argue that state control doesn’t necessarily reduce crime. In 2012, police were still under state surveillance, but Forbes magazine ranked St. Louis as the second most dangerous city in the country.
Still under state control, Kansas City continues to fight violent crime. Efforts to restore local surveillance have never gained much traction there. Despite past research and suggestions, including a 1968 report, listing local control as the biggest recommendation after police killed six black residents during the riot, and the Mayor’s Committee in 2013 was a vote against local control that failed in a single vote, and no significant push has been realized.
