St. Louis County Police Department
| St. Louis County Police Department | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Common name | St. Louis County PD |
| Abbreviation | SLCPD |
| Motto | To Serve and Protect |
| Agency overview | |
| Formed |
|
| Preceding agency |
|
| Employees | 1,290 (2020) |
| Annual budget | $87,561,609 (2010)[2] $87,673,800 (2011)[3] $147,707,521 (2020)Chief of Police |
| Facilities | |
| Precincts | 8 Precincts, 12 sub-stations |
| Helicopter/Airplanes | 6 Helicopter, 1 Fixed Wing |
| Website | |
| St. Louis County Police Department Official Website | |
The St. Louis County Police Department is the primary law enforcement agency for St. Louis County in the U.S. state of Missouri.
The St. Louis County Police Department (also known as the SLCPD or County Police) is the primary and largest law enforcement agency serving
The St. Louis County Police Department is the Largest County police agency in Missouri, based on number of employees, county population, and geographic area served.
This change in law enforcement services occurred in 1955, when the St. Louis County Charter was amended by the voters to restrict the duties of the St. Louis County Sheriff's Office. The position of elected sheriff was eliminated. St. Louis County is one of two counties in Missouri that does not have an elected sheriff. With the charter amendment, all law enforcement services were assigned to a new police agency, the St. Louis County Police Department. The department is primarily responsible for law enforcement and investigations within unincorporated St. Louis County and contract municipalities, however, it has full police authority throughout the county, including its 88 municipalities which are also served by 58 local police departments, some of them very small.
Departmental history
The St. Louis County Police Department was established on July 1, 1955. The department was created with 95 officers and 18 civilian employees.
Starting in October 2018, the St. Louis County Police Department began patrolling Kinloch after it dissolved its city police department.[7]
On October 25, 2019, a jury awarded $20 million to a police sergeant for discrimination by the St. Louis County Police Department.[8] Witnesses testified that police department leadership had said that the sergeant would never be promoted because he was "way too out there with his gayness and he needed to tone it down if he wanted a white shirt." (The command staff are called "white shirts" because of the color of their uniform shirts.)[9] On October 27 County Executive Sam Page announced that "the time for leadership changes has come and change must start at the top" of the St. Louis County Police Department.[10] After reaching the settlement, Chief Jon Belmar resigned from his position. It is unclear if insurance would cover the amount.[11]
Fallen officers
From October 4, 1871, to December 1, 2021, the Officer Down Memorial Page reported that 13 officers in the St. Louis County Police Department died in the line of duty.[12]
Board of Police Commissioners
The St. Louis County Board of Police Commissioners is responsible for the operation of the department . The Board sets policy, makes promotions, holds both closed and open meetings and coordinates with the Chief of Police in providing police services to the citizens. Four of the five members of the board are selected by the County Executive of St. Louis County, following approval of the County Council, with the County Executive serving as the sixth member. As provided in the St. Louis County Charter, the St. Louis County Police Department operates under the control of a civilian board of commissioners appointed by the County Executive with the approval of a majority of the County Council. Commissioners serve overlapping three year terms.
As of 2023, the membership is: Board of Commissioners
| Member | Title | |
|---|---|---|
| Brain Ashworth | Chairman
| |
| Richard E. Banks | Vice Chairman
| |
| Thomasina Hassler | Board Member
| |
| Michael Wild | Board Member
| |
Executive Command Staff
The Chief of Police serves as the senior sworn member of the SLCPD. Kenneth Gregory is the tenth individual to hold the post and first African-American Chief in SLCPD History. Prior to 1955 the position was known as the Superintendent of Police and was later changed to Chief of Police.[13]
The Office of the Chief of Police is responsible for the planning, efficient administration and operation of the Police Department under the authority of the Board of Police Commissioners.
The Chief of Police reports directly to the Board of Police Commissioners.
The Office of the Chief of Police has seven units or bureaus:[14]
- Chief of Police: Colonel Kenneth Gregory (appointed to the position of Chief of Police on January 28, 2022)
- Deputy Chief of Police: Lieutenant Colonel Juan Cox
- Bureau of Professional Standards
- Police Contract Services
- Media Relations and Public Information
- Bureau of Research and Analysis
- Intelligence Operations Bureau
- Bureau of Human Resources
Chiefs of Police
| Chief of Police | Term |
|---|---|
| Albert E. DuBois | 1955–1956 |
| Raymond W. Hensley | 1956–1969 |
| Robert diGrazia | 1969–1972 |
| G. H. Kleinknecht | 1973–1990 |
| Ronald A. Battelle | 1990–2004 |
| Jerry Lee | 2004–2009 |
| Timothy E. Fitch | 2009–2013 |
| Jon M. Belmar | 2014–2020 |
| Mary T. Barton | 2020–2021 |
| Kenneth Gregory | 2021–present |
Division of Patrol
The Division of Patrol is commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Jim Schneider.
The SLCPD is divided into eight police precincts, three of which are contracted cities,
| Police Precincts | Precinct Captain |
|---|---|
| North County Precinct (1st) | James Morgan |
| Central County Precinct (2nd) | Jeremy Romo |
| Affton-Southwest Precinct (3rd) | Guy Means |
| South County Precinct (4th) | Brian Schellman |
| City of Fenton Precinct (5th) | Kevin Lawson |
| City of Wildwood Precinct (6th) | James Mundel |
| West County Precinct (7th) | Tim Ware |
| City of Jennings Precinct (8th) | Aaron Roediger |
County Police Precincts
- 1st- North County (Plates: A)
- 2nd- Central County (Plates: B)
- 3rd- Affton Southwest County (Plates: C)
- 4th- South County (Plates: D)
- 5th- City of Fenton (Plates: F)
- 6th- City of Wildwood (Plates: G)
- 7th- West County (Plates: H)
- 8th - City of Jennings (Plates: J)
Vehicles marked with plates "T" are Tactical Unit vehicles or are used for the Tactical Unit; vehicles with plates "E" are for administration, D.A.R.E., K-9 Units, MetroLink, or other special non-patrol units. [6]
Patrol Officers are issued the SIG Sauer P229R .40 semi-automatic pistol which replaced the Smith & Wesson 4006 .40 semi-automatic pistol in 2007. Detectives were issued the S&W 4013 .40 and the S&W 4014 .40, but now carry the SIG Sauer P229R .40 like the patrol officers.
Division of Special Operations
The Division of Special Operations is commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Jason Law.
The Division of Special Operations staffs a full-time Tactical (TACT) Unit consisting of 21 members, as well as nine K-9 Units trained to detect narcotics, locate missing persons and apprehend suspects. As a matter of policy, the department uses SWAT and police dogs to serve all felony warrants.[15] Special Operations is also responsible for entrance security at the County Jail, Family Court and St. Louis County Courthouse in Clayton, Bureau of Tactical Operations, Special Response Unit, Metro Air Unit, Highway Safety Unit, MetroLink Police Unit, Crisis Intervention Team, and Office of the Chaplains.
In 2004, the St. Louis County Police Department, the
Division of Criminal Investigations
The Division of Criminal Investigation is commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Gerald Lohr.
The SLCPD has the largest investigative unit in the state. Nearly 200 detectives provide county-wide services for the crimes of homicide, child abuse, St. Louis Regional Bomb and Arson Unit, domestic violence, sexual assault, fugitive apprehension, auto theft, burglary, fraud, robbery, drug abuse, and child exploitation. The SLCPD also has a full-time ASCLAD-Lab accredited Crime Laboratory, Fingerprint Unit, Prisoner Conveyance Unit, Crime Scene Unit (CSI), Bureau of Drug Enforcement, and Polygraph Unit.
Division of Operational Support
The Division is commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Norman Mann.
The SLCPD provides a wide range of support services for the department and community which include the following:
- Bureau of Communications
- Emergency Communications Network
- Office of Emergency Management
- Bureau of Central Police Records
- St Louis County and Municipal Police Academy
- Police IT Unit
Commissioned/sworn positions
The SLCPD uses the following ranks.
Officers with the power of arrest.
| Title | Insignia | Additional Information |
|---|---|---|
Chief of Police
|
 |
Chief of St. Louis County Police Department |
Deputy Chief
|
 |
Deputy Chief of St. Louis County Police Department |
Lieutenant Colonel
|
|
Lieutenant Colonels command a division within the St. Louis County Police Department. |
| Captain |  |
Captains Command Precincts & Bureaus. |
| Lieutenant |  |
Lieutenants Serve as 2nd in command of Precincts & Bureaus. |
| Sergeant |  |
Sergeants are Field Supervisors. |
| Detective |  |
Detective. |
| Police Officer | |
Front line Law Enforcement Officers |
| Probationary Police Officer | |
Fresh out of the academy. |
Professional staff (non-sworn) positions
- Professional any non-supervisory employee that is not commissioned.
- Supervisor Professional staff employee equal to rank or pay grade of commissioned Sergeant or Lieutenant
- Director Professional staff employee equal to rank or pay grade of commissioned Captain
- Executive DirectorProfessional staff employee equal to rank or pay grade of commissioned Lieutenant Colonel
See also
References
- ^ "The St. Louis County Police Department: Then and Now". St. Louis County. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
- ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ "Download". www.stlouisco.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
- ^ "Budget summary" (PDF). www.stlouisco.com. 2012. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved July 4, 2019.
- ^ New Flordell Hills police force off to rough start as officer is charged with stealing from evidence room; by Jennifer S Mann, 2 October 2014, St Louis Post-Dispatch
- ^ a b "St. Louis County Government". stlouiscountypolice.com. Archived from the original on August 25, 2018. Retrieved August 21, 2018.
- ^ Byers, Christine (October 5, 2018). "St. Louis County police to patrol Kinloch". STLtoday.com. Retrieved May 5, 2022.
- ^ "A cop was told to 'tone down your gayness.' Now, he could get nearly $20 million, jury says". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on October 28, 2019. Retrieved October 28, 2019.
- ^ Jurors say police sergeant should get almost million in discrimination; by Christine byers, 25 October 2019, St Louis Post-Dispatch
- ^ "County Executive Sam Page".
- ^ Kohler, Jeremy. "St. Louis County reaches $10.25 million settlement with Wildhaber in discrimination suit". Saint Louis Post-Dispatch. Archived from the original on February 11, 2020. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
- ^ "Fallen Officers". Officer Down Memorial Page.
- ^ "Chief of Police". stlouiscountypolice.com. Archived from the original on February 28, 2020. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
- ^ "Who We Are". Archived from the original on September 12, 2019. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
- ^ Balko, Radley (June 4, 2015). "Lawsuit: St. Louis County sent SWAT team, killed a dog over code violations". Washington Post. Archived from the original on June 6, 2015. Retrieved June 6, 2015.
- ^ Metro Airborne Law Enforcement of St. Louis, Mo Archived 2007-07-03 at the Wayback Machine