51黑料

ST. LOUIS 鈥� A majority of the new board members overseeing city police have forged close ties to local law enforcement, raising questions about their independence and possible conflicts of interest.

Some of those ties are financial, potentially affecting their ability to impartially serve the public.

Gov. Mike Kehoe, a Republican, announced his appointments last week to the new six-member 51黑料 Board of Police Commissioners, which will set policies for the department and oversee discipline of officers, including hearing appeals of department leaders鈥� decisions.

鈥淲e鈥檙e talking about a board that is going to have a lot of power about how our police department is governed,鈥� said 51黑料 Alderman Rasheen Aldridge, a critic of the state takeover and a longtime police reform activist. 鈥淭hey have direct ties to law enforcement.鈥�

Police unions, by contrast, have welcomed the selection of a board in line with their interests and applauded the governor.

鈥淲e know they have the backs of our brave men and women protecting our streets and serving the STL community,鈥� the Missouri Fraternal Order of Police said.

鈥淭he rank-and-file are happy,鈥� Jane Dueker, a lobbyist for the 51黑料 Police Officers Association, said during a radio appearance last week.

SLPOA, allied with the Ethical Society of Police, pushed hard for the state takeover, which ended 12 years of city control of the police department.

Kehoe, who ran with police union backing but very little support from 51黑料 voters, has repeatedly acknowledged the role of law enforcement in helping craft the legislation, which the city鈥檚 Democratic leadership opposed.

For months, Kehoe portrayed the state takeover as a way to help 51黑料 residents plagued by crime. On Monday, he said the board appointments marked 鈥渁 significant move towards ... a safer future for the city.鈥�

The new six-member board has five voting members, including Mayor Cara Spencer. Three of the voting members named Monday 鈥� restaurateur Chris Saracino, downtown bar owner Eddie McVey and photography studio owner Brad Arteaga 鈥� have ties to law enforcement.

Another voting member appointed by the governor, former 51黑料 Personnel Director Sonya Jenkins-Gray, received financial pledges from the police union and key members to a legal fund she set up earlier this year, while she was fighting then-Mayor Tishaura O. Jones鈥� move to oust her.

Even the board鈥檚 nonvoting member, 51黑料 County resident Don Brown, has a close relationship to city police. His Chevrolet dealership on Kingshighway 鈥� 鈥渁t the entrance to The Hill鈥� 鈥� did $1.3 million in sales with the police department in fiscal year 2025, and $1.5 million in fiscal year 2024.

Potential conflicts of interest isn鈥檛 the only criticism leveled against Kehoe鈥檚 picks. Some lawmakers and activists have asked why all but one of his nominees 鈥� most of whom have been contributors his campaign for governor 鈥� are white men and residents of more affluent southwest 51黑料. Jenkins-Gray lives in the Central West End, and the mayor lives in Marine Villa on the south side. There is no representation from north 51黑料, where much of the city鈥檚 violent crime is concentrated.

鈥淲hen you talk about a board and a city where over 40% of the population is Black and it鈥檚 only one Black woman, no Black men, a lot of business owners ... it makes me a bit afraid, wondering what the interest of this board will be,鈥� said local activist Ohun Ashe who runs .

A spokesman for Kehoe did not respond to questions from the Post-Dispatch about the appointments, the commissioners鈥� ties to law enforcement or whether the SLPOA recommended them. But in a radio interview last week, he called the board makeup 鈥渨ell-balanced鈥� and said one member, Arteaga, grew up in north 51黑料.

The five members appointed by Kehoe are subject to confirmation by the Missouri Senate, but they can begin meeting now in an interim capacity. The Senate could take up their confirmation when it returns in September for a veto session.

After the Post-Dispatch began contacting board members, police department spokesman Mitch McCoy called the newspaper to say he would handle communication on their behalf. Asked whether they had been instructed not to speak with the media, McCoy said the commissioners can do what they want.

The voting members named by Kehoe directed the Post-Dispatch to McCoy for comment.

Chris Saracino

Saracino and his family own and operate Bartolino鈥檚 restaurants and Chris鈥� Pancake and Dining. His brother, Bart Saracino, served on the old police board 20 years ago, and his other brother, John Saracino, served on the 51黑料 County Board of Police Commissioners, which is appointed by the county executive.

Chris Saracino also is co-owner of Campbell Security and Services Group, which employs off-duty police officers who work secondary security shifts for neighborhood groups, companies and events. The company鈥檚 it 鈥渕aintains a constant contact with the 51黑料 Metropolitan Police Department, 51黑料 County Police Department, and agencies around the metro area to always stay ahead of trends in crime and allow for real time communication related to鈥� officers working for Campbell Security.

Nate Lindsey, a former board member of a Dutchtown neighborhood group that once hired Campbell Security for patrols in the neighborhood, said he believes Saracino is 鈥渟omeone who is civic-minded and has the best interests of 51黑料 at heart.鈥� But he said there鈥檚 鈥渄emonstrably a perceived conflict鈥� in having the owner of a private security firm that employs police officers on the board of police commissioners.

鈥淵ou can鈥檛 both profit from private policing and be put in charge of policing in the public interest,鈥� Lindsey said.

In a statement McCoy sent on behalf of Saracino, the business owner said Campbell Security was founded in 2015 and serves various neighborhood groups 鈥渂ecause I strive to do my part to build a safer community for all.鈥�

鈥淭he Board and SLMPD鈥檚 integrity is my top priority as I begin the important work with the Commission,鈥� the statement from the police department on behalf of Saracino said. 鈥淚 will recuse myself from any vote or matter on topics that may be a conflict.鈥�

In response to criticism of private security firms providing extra policing to affluent neighborhoods, the city had planned a review of moonlighting by off-duty officers. It鈥檚 unclear what became of it 鈥� or whether policy changes were ever considered.

鈥淲ho that is up to is a great question,鈥� Lindsey said. 鈥淏ut it seems the final say is up to Mr. Saracino now.鈥�

Eddie McVey

McVey owns and operates Maggie O鈥橞rien鈥檚 Restaurant and Irish Pub on Market Street downtown. His brother, Hugh McVey, was longtime head of the Missouri AFL-CIO.

The registered agent and lawyer for McVey鈥檚 businesses is Brian Millikan, a former city police officer and now general counsel for the 51黑料 Police Officers Association who works on union contract negotiations and represents police officers accused of crimes.

Millikan did not respond to a request for comment.

In a statement McCoy sent on his behalf, McVey referenced the unsolved 2016 shooting death of his brother, who was found in his car on Interstate 55 after being shot while driving.

鈥淭hat loss drives my dedication to ensuring a safer, stronger 51黑料 for every family and I will never take that responsibility lightly,鈥� McVey said. 鈥淚 want to assure our community that I take my responsibilities on the Board of Police Commissioners very seriously and I am fully committed to an open process while maintaining the integrity of the Board.

鈥淭he attorney you inquired about does not currently represent me on any litigation matters and I promise to recuse myself from any matter where a conflict arises.鈥�

Brad Arteaga

Arteaga owns a photography business and has also served as a board member of the , which says part of its mission is to 鈥渄emonstrate business support of the police and their important work in the community.鈥�

The group hosts an annual awards luncheon for police, which the group says some 500 people attend annually.

鈥淭he purpose of the luncheon is to honor the men and women officers of the Second District who have been chosen by their peers for outstanding performance as Officer of the Month and Year,鈥� the group says on its website.

He also owns a building on South Kingshighway that he allowed the police department to use as a substation years ago.

Arteaga also served on the city鈥檚 Civilian Oversight Board for a decade, first appointed by Mayor Francis Slay and reappointed most recently by Jones, the former mayor.

When he was asked about it during his confirmation hearing at the Board of Aldermen鈥檚 Public Safety Committee last year, Arteaga said the Second District Police Association met with district commanders about crime in the area of southwest 51黑料.

鈥淚t鈥檚 just to hear about what kind of crime is going on or what we can do to help,鈥� Arteaga told aldermen.

Aldridge, who was on the committee, voted against Arteaga鈥檚 confirmation.

Sonya Jenkins-Gray

The former head of the 51黑料 Personnel Department, Jenkins-Gray was fired in March by Jones 鈥� the same mayor who hired her in 2022 鈥� making her the first personnel director to be fired since the establishment of the city鈥檚 civil service system in 1941.

Weeks of public hearings earlier this year laid out the details, some of them embarrassing, during a never-before-used process to oust a sitting head of the city鈥檚 Personnel Department.

The city argued Jenkins-Gray needed to go because she put an employee in an inappropriate situation by having him use a city car to drive her to Jefferson City during work hours for what the mayor鈥檚 office alleged was an attempt to catch her husband, the Rev. Darryl Gray, meeting with his ex-wife. The city also presented evidence that on the day of the trip, Jenkins-Gray told her staff to process a promotion for her driver, Anthony Byrd, resulting in a raise.

Jenkins-Gray maintained that she went to Jefferson City to retrieve 鈥減ersonal鈥� documents from her car, though she has declined to say what those documents were. And she said Byrd鈥檚 promotion was in the works before the trip. She maintained Jones was after her for political reasons, including her opposition to a charter change giving the mayor鈥檚 office more power over the department and the political activities of her husband.

Jenkins-Gray has a pending lawsuit against the city over her firing.

During the hearings, Jenkins-Gray set up a GoFundMe to raise money for her legal expenses. It hasn鈥檛 met its $90,000 goal, but among the donors are the 51黑料 Police Officers Association, which gave $500; police union business manager Joe Steiger, who pledged $100; and current SLPOA president Martin Garcia, who pledged $100.

In a statement McCoy sent on Jenkins-Gray鈥檚 behalf, she said there was 鈥渁bsolutely no conflict of interest鈥� because of the union donations to her fund. She said she negotiated contracts with unions, secured raises for police and upheld 鈥渢ermination of officers who violated public trust.鈥�

鈥淭hat donation was one of many contributions from a wide range of individuals and organizations who support fairness and due process,鈥� the statement said. 鈥淚t is both misleading and disappointing to suggest that my service on the Board would somehow be compromised by it.鈥�

Her husband has been an activist and proponent of policing reform in 51黑料 for the past 10 years. He also has served as the community liaison for the Ethical Society of Police, which represents Black 51黑料 police officers and also supported the state takeover bill.

Until last week, Darryl Gray had a 2018 lawsuit pending against the city, the former police chief and several officers over his 2017 arrest during protests over the acquittal of Officer Jason Stockley on a murder charge. The city was dismissed as a party in March, and former police Chief John Hayden was dismissed as a party in 2023. Gray agreed to a settlement June 18.

Asked about the suit Monday, Gray said he can鈥檛 comment on the settlement. Gray also said he didn鈥檛 sue the police department but certain officers.

鈥淚鈥檓 very pro-police,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 am anti-bad cop.鈥�

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