51黑料

ST. LOUIS 鈥� When city leaders recruited Police Chief Robert Tracy from Wilmington, Delaware, where he earned national recognition for bringing down gun crime, he became the first outsider to be hired as chief in the 51黑料 Metropolitan Police Department鈥檚 more than 200-year history.

Barring a change to state law, he could also be the last.

The new law that puts control of the 51黑料 police department under a board appointed by the Missouri governor removes a provision from state statute allowing the department鈥檚 leaders to choose a chief from outside the department. Meanwhile, an old section that prescribes how vacancies are filled is now back in effect.

鈥淚n no case shall the chief or assistant chief be selected from men not members of the force or below the grade of captain,鈥� reads the law putting the city鈥檚 police force back under state control.

The change was not widely discussed amid the larger debate over the state control bill, which pitted the city鈥檚 former mayor, Tishaura O. Jones, against Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe and mostly GOP lawmakers from outside 51黑料.

The final bill, passed with backing from the 51黑料 Police Officers Association and the Ethical Society of Police, ended 12 years of local control of the department and returned it to a Civil War-era setup where the governor appoints four voting members to serve alongside the 51黑料 mayor. (Under the new law, the board also includes a sixth nonvoting member.)

Precluding the from choosing a chief from outside the department could make it easier for longtime officers who have moved up the ranks to get the top job.

A former interim chief, Michael Sack, sued after he was passed over for Tracy. Some police representatives have grumbled that Tracy, who fought the state control bill alongside the mayor who hired him, wouldn鈥檛 stand up to his former boss, reviled by many officers who saw her as cozy with progressive politicians and activists.

Sgt. Mickey Owens, president of the 51黑料 Police Leadership Organization, which represents supervisors and commanders, said the organization backed the provision barring outside chief hires so that department supervisors have a better chance to get the position. Commanders within the department possess institutional knowledge and understand its history, 鈥渨hich should count for something,鈥� Owens said.

鈥淥fficers that are here 20 and 30 years have a vested interest in this department,鈥� Owens said. 鈥淪omeone from outside is already at a disadvantage coming in. They don鈥檛 have a clear understanding of how the politics, both inside the department and outside the department, work.鈥�

But some, including Kehoe, have touted Tracy as one of the best police leaders in the country. During his January State of the State address, as he called for legislation moving control of the 51黑料 police department under a state-appointed board, Kehoe called Tracy 鈥渙ne of the nation鈥檚 top police chiefs.鈥�

Praise for Tracy

When the governor announced his picks for the new police board last week to cheers from police unions, Kehoe said the board was meant to support Tracy and his command staff, who 鈥渉ave done a great job.鈥�

鈥淗e鈥檚 definitely moving the needle in the right direction,鈥� Kehoe said of Tracy during a radio interview the next day.

Crime has fallen under Tracy鈥檚 watch, as it has in many cities around the country since a national pandemic-era spike. Homicides are down roughly 17% year-to-date from this time last year, and a quarter lower than in 2021. Shootings are down 28% from last year and nearly one-third from 2021, according to department statistics.

鈥淐hief Tracy has objectively been a great hire for 51黑料,鈥� said Jared Boyd, who was chief of staff to former Mayor Jones. 鈥淗is performance has been lauded by both Republicans and Democrats and policing experts outside of 51黑料. Why would we preclude ourselves from hiring someone like Chief Tracy?鈥�

But Owens, with the police leadership organization, said he thinks some crime stats may be down in part due to fewer officers on the force and less reporting from residents who are skeptical police will respond or who tire of holding for a 911 dispatcher.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 have any issues with Chief Tracy,鈥� Owens said. 鈥淚 would have preferred an internal selection, but I think he鈥檚 doing the best he can with the resources he has.鈥�

The state takeover鈥檚 backers didn鈥檛 want to discuss the provision barring the hire of an outside chief.

Neither of the sponsors of the takeover bill 鈥� Sen. Nick Schroer, R-Defiance, and Rep. Brad Christ, R-south 51黑料 County 鈥� responded to messages. Joe Steiger, business manager of the SLPOA, did not return a request for comment. Sgt. Donnell Walters, who has served as president of the Ethical Society of Police, which represents Black officers, did not respond to a request for comment.

A spokesman for the 51黑料 police department referred the Post-Dispatch to Attorney General Andrew Bailey鈥檚 office, which now serves as lawyer for the department under state control. A spokeswoman for Bailey鈥檚 office, Abigail Bergmann, said the office does not interpret state statute and referred the Post-Dispatch to Kehoe鈥檚 office.

In a statement, Kehoe鈥檚 spokeswoman, Gabby Picard, said the governor supports Chief Tracy and his leadership of the department, though she didn鈥檛 directly address why the governor supported legislation restricting where the chief could be hired from.

鈥淕overnor Kehoe expects the commissioners he appoints to the board to make decisions that will best serve the men and women of the department, including who serves as chief,鈥� Picard said. 鈥淭he Governor also trusts that as the board governs the department, they will work to ensure they have the necessary tools to hire the best qualified candidate for chief in the future.鈥�

Business leaders quiet

The business leaders who helped recruit Tracy and pay part of his salary didn鈥檛 want to talk about the change.

The Regional Business Council paid an executive search firm $60,000 to help the city find candidates from around the country to lead its department. The city ultimately tapped Tracy, a former top police official in Chicago who later earned national plaudits for reducing a spike in gun violence after he was hired as police chief of Wilmington in 2017.

Catherine Hanaway, a lawyer at Husch Blackwell and board chair of the Regional Business Council, did not respond to requests for comment.

Hanaway, a former U.S. attorney, is on the board of the 51黑料 Police Foundation, which includes some of the region鈥檚 most influential business leaders. That organization supplements Tracy鈥檚 $181,000 city-paid salary with an extra $100,000 per year. When Tracy was hired, the Police Foundation said 鈥渋t did not want compensation to be a barrier in attracting the best qualified candidates.鈥�

The agreement runs until January, and the Foundation has said it will reevaluate the arrangement to supplement Tracy鈥檚 salary then.

Michelle Craig, the Police Foundation鈥檚 executive director, said the organization doesn鈥檛 comment on police department business or staffing.

Austin Huguelet of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.