Aldridge condemns bills to return SLMPD to state control

Proposed legislation ‘would deprive my constituents of local control’

Rep. Rasheen Aldridge (Tim Bommel/House Communications)

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — On Tuesday, state Rep. Rasheen Aldridge, D-St. Louis, strongly condemned multiple bills pre-filed ahead of the 2023 legislative session that would return the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department to state control.

“Once again, certain representatives from beyond my city’s borders believe they know best for the City of St. Louis even when they only ever come here to catch a Cardinals or Blues game,” Aldridge said. “This proposed language would deprive my constituents of local control and enforce over-policing of predominantly Black communities.”

A statewide ballot measure in 2012 returned control of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department to the mayor of St. Louis’ office after 152 years under state control and a board of police commissioners. Currently, Kansas City, Missouri is the only major municipality in the United States with a police force not directly under local control.

Aldridge said Kansas City illustrates numerous problems with state control over a local police force: state interests can supersede local needs, stifle innovation and oversight that has improved outcomes in other municipalities, and fail to adequately address racial discrimination by the police towards Black citizens and police officers. He said policymakers should seek to resolve underlying issues that cause crime, like a lack of quality employment opportunities, livable wage jobs, and accessible and affordable health care, including mental health care.

“Solving the issue of crime in urban areas is much more complex than simply throwing more police at the problem, and these bills target St. Louis City residents and deprive them and their local elected officials of the ability to adopt innovative strategies to combat violent crime,” Aldridge said. “I invite these representatives to tour St. Louis with me and witness the local work being done to assist some of the most underserved communities in the state, and I promise to those who elected me that I will fight against these bills with every fiber of my being.”