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Metropolitan Police Department – City of St. Louis
The current Seal of the Metropolitan Police Department
The current patch of the Metropolitan Police Department
SLMPD officer badge, with number omitted.
Flag of City of St. Louis
Common name	Metropolitan Police Department
Abbreviation	SLMPD, MPDSL
Motto	Officium moris principatum et aequi Omnibus (Latin) Service, Integrity, Leadership, and Fair Treatment to All
Agency overview
Formed	1808; 216 years ago (1808)
Employees	1809 full-time (2023)
Annual budget	US$220,000,000
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdiction	St. Louis, Missouri, United States
Jurisdiction of the Metropolitan Police Department
Size	69.99 square miles (181.3 km) (total) (land)
Population	294,890 (2021)
Legal jurisdiction	City of St.Louis
Governing body	Public Safety Department - City of St. Louis
General nature	Local civilian police
Operational structure
Headquarters	1915 Olive Downtown West, St. Louis
Police Officers	1,343(2023)
Corrections personnel and Civilian members	462 (2023)
Agency executive	Robert J. Tracy, Police Commissioner
Parent agency	Public Safety Department - City of St. Louis
Bureaus	4 Bureau of Crime Control Strategies Bureau of Professional Standards Bureau of Support Operations Bureau of Operations
Patrol Divisions	3 South Patrol Central Patrol North Patrol
Facilities
Stations	3 Patrol Stations, 6 sub-stations
Justice Centers	City Justice Center 200 S.Tucker Blvd. St. Louis, Missouri
Marked and Unmarked vehicles	2000+
Helicopter/Airplanes	6 Helicopter, 1 Fixed Wing
Horses	4
K-9's	12
Notables
Anniversary	August 7, 1808 (1808-08-07) (216 years ago)
Website
Metropolitan Police Department official website

The Metropolitan Police Department – City of St. Louis (also known as the SLMPD or Metro Police) is the primary law enforcement agency for the U.S. city of St. Louis.

According to the Mapping Police Violence dataset, SLMPD has the highest police use of deadly force per capita. The SLMPD union has strongly resisted attempts to establish independent oversight of police misconduct. When Kimberly Gardner, the top prosecutor in St. Louis, sought to establish a unit within her office to independently investigate police misconduct, the leader of the SLMPD union said Gardner should be removed "by force or by choice."

History

The Metropolitan Police Department was Established on August 7, 1808, five years after St. Louis became part of the United States. The department was created with only four officers, who received no pay. Able-bodied men age 18 and older were required to patrol for four months of the year. This was the only police system for the next 10 years. Refusal to serve on patrol carried a fine of $1.

In 2013, Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies recognized the Metropolitan Police Department with it distinguished Tri-Arc Award. The Tri-Arc Award is reserved for those police agencies that have successfully accredited their law enforcement services, police academy and communications division.

The SLMPD is a division in the Public Safety Department - City of St. Louis. With approximately 1,343 officers and 462 civilian staff, it is the 37th largest municipal police department in the United States. The department serves an area of 69 square miles (180 km) and a population of over 294,890 people. Established on August 7, 1808, the SLMPD is one of the oldest police departments in the United States. The Metropolitan Police is the second largest municipal police agency in Missouri, based on number of employees, city population, and geographic area served.

Fallen officers

From April 28, 1836, to September 22, 2024, the Officer Down Memorial Page reported that 174 officers in the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department have died in the line of duty.

Demographics

The composition of the department's total personnel, according to the 2020 annual report, was:

• Sex — Male: 83.54%, Female: 16.46%
• Race — White: 66.0%, African-American/Black: 30%, Other: 3.51%

Salary

Starting salary for a Metropolitan police officer is $54,000, increasing to a maximum of $90,387.

Union representation

Officers are represented by the St. Louis Police Officers Association (SLPOA). SLPOA employs author and former Arnold police officer Jeff Roorda as business manager. In the 2017 city mayoral election, incumbent Lyda Krewson called for Roorda to be fired due to social media comments directed at candidate Tishaura Jones and declared that he would not be welcomed in her office if elected.

The St. Louis Ethical Society of Police (ESOP), formerly known as St. Louis Black Police Officers Association until 1975, represents African American police officers by providing legal counsel and other benefits; however, the SLPOA is the only recognized bargaining unit for officers.

Controversies

Officers with the SLMPD have been accused of several incidents of alleged police misconduct, obstruction of justice, violations of civil rights, and racial prejudice. Several of these controversial incidents have resulted in criminal charges against SLMPD officers, and some cases have resulted in guilty pleas.

Homicide of Kerwin Harris (2012)

In December 2012, St. Louis medical examiner ruled the death of Kerwin Harris, age 39, as accidental, caused primarily by heart disease. Officer Steven Pinkerton allegedly mistook Harris for a robbery suspect as a Black man wearing glasses and knit hat driving a Buick Century. His family, including four children, were not allowed to see his body and received no details about his death until interviewed for a 2024 Missouri Independent investigation. The investigation revealed that Harris was strangled in a chokehold and tazed repeatedly by officers. Harris was not involved in the $109 Denny's robbery, a case which is still open.

Shooting of Anthony Lamar Smith (2017)

See: Shooting of Anthony Lamar Smith

Assault of undercover officer Luther Hall (2018)

Three St. Louis police officers from its Civil Disobedience Team were charged with felony assault against undercover police officer Luther Hall during the 2017 St. Louis protests. Officer Hall, according to the November 2018 indictment, had been extensively assaulted by the three officers. According to the prosecutors, officers Christopher Myers, Randy Hays, and Dustin Boone used excessive force in the form of kicking Hall and beating him with their police batons. Hall stated that the officers smashed his cell phone and broke a camera he had used to document the protests. Hall's injuries as a result of the assault included an injured tailbone, two herniated discs, and a jaw injury that prevented Hall from eating, resulting in a twenty-pound weight loss. Prosecutors obtained text messages from the officers involved, which revealed the officers' excitement at the prospect of brutalizing protesters. Officer Boone allegedly texted "it’s gonna be a lot of fun beating the hell out of those shitheads once the sun goes down and nobody can tell us apart!!!!” and “Did everyone see the protesters getting FUCKED UP in the galleria????? That was awesome.”

A fourth police officer, Bailey Colletta, was charged with providing false testimony to a grand jury. Colletta pled guilty to giving false testimony to cover up the attack on Hall, and admitted she had lied to the FBI and to a federal grand jury.

All four officers were suspended without pay.

Officer Hays, who allegedly had texted "going rogue does feel good", pled guilty to assault. Hays admitted that on the evening of September 17, although Hays did not witness anything probable cause to arrest Hall, Hays and other officers arrested Hall. During the arrest, Hall was compliant and pinned to the ground, with Officer Boone's knee on Hall's shoulder and continually pushing down Hall's head while telling him not to look at them; during this time, officers kicked Hall in the face and beat him with a baton.

An indictment released in December 2019 revealed that a fifth officer, Steve Korte, was also charged for violently beating Hall, and then lying to the FBI about his involvement. He was placed on administrative leave without pay. Officer Korte was later unanimously found not guilty by the jury, after evidence was shown in trial proving he was nowhere near Luther Hall when he was attacked. Officer Korte was later reinstated by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department.

Hall filed a federal civil rights lawsuit in September 2019 against the police and against the city.

"Exclusion List" controversy (2019–2020)

A controversy ensued in 2019 regarding the existence of a list created by circuit attorney Kimberly M. Gardner's office of 28 Metropolitan Department officers that were to be excluded from acting as witnesses in future prosecutions due to an alleged history of misconduct. In late September 2020, fifteen more officers were added to the list. This would indicate about five percent of the sworn officers of the department are listed. The names of those on the list has not been released to the public.

"Russian Roulette" incident (2019)

On January 24, police arrived at the residence of SLMPD officer Nathaniel Hendren following reports of gunshots, upon arrival police found 24-year-old officer Katlyn Alix fatally shot in the chest, following an alleged game of Russian roulette. St. Louis circuit attorney Kimberly Gardner criticized the investigation, stating that the department was obstructing the investigation of the shooting, claiming investigators refused to allow a sample of Officer Hendren's blood be tested for alcohol and other substances. St. Louis Metropolitan Police Commissioner John Hayden Jr. responded to criticism of the investigation as unfounded.

Plain View Project findings (2019)

In June 2019 officers and employees from numerous police departments in the United States were found to have participated in a number of private groups on Facebook that shared content that was described as racist, violent, and Islamophobic. This information was published online by the Plain View Project, which had viewed and documented the social-media accounts of 2,900 officers from eight separate departments, finding twenty percent of those users posted material that was determined to meet the threshold of being offensive. At least 22 officers in the department were found to have participated in the closed groups, St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly M. Gardner stated that these officers would be added to a list of officers who have been determined to be unable to provide witness testimony in criminal prosecutions.

Central Visual and Performing Arts High School shooting (2022)

On October 24, 2022, a mass shooting occurred at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School in the Southwest Garden neighborhood of St. Louis, Missouri, United States when a 19-year-old former student opened fire on students and staff, killing two and injuring seven before being fatally shot by police.

Police cruiser crashes (2023-2024)

In December 2023, the aftermath of a police cruiser crashing into a gay bar gained national attention following the arrest and alleged assault of one of the bar owners. Claims as to the cause of the crash were contradicted by video evidence gathered from civilians, no toxicology test was taken for the driver, and the initial charge of a felony against the arrested bar owner was reduced to a misdemeanor after he was held more than a day in custody. It was also found that the arresting officer, who is accused of beating the bar owner, had previously broken bones of an arrestee already in handcuffs. Governor Mike Parson advised the police department to release body camera footage.

The incident increased scrutiny of cruiser crashes, including an apparent cover-up of a destroyed church sign from the preceding summer. In March 2024, the St. Louis Board of Aldermen were told by a police representative that there was no recent upswing in incidents, which conflicted with data showing a 44% spike in 2019.

Force Investigative Unit audit (2024)

The Force Investigative Unit was established in 2013 to investigate cases of officers using deadly force and issue reports to the public for the purposes of transparency. In 2018, the unit was ordered to conduct an audit of investigations which led to further investigations of the unit's then-director Roger Engelhardt, who was later fired from the force. The audit found problems in all 50 investigations of police shootings from 2004-2018. No reports from the unit have been released to the public since 2015, and the Tishaura Jones administration blocked public access to the full audit.

Office of the Police Commissioner

The Police Commissioner serves as the senior sworn member of the SLMPD. Prior to 1806, the position was known as the chief inspector and as the chief of police." The Commissioner is the overall person in charge of the police department.

Commissioner Robert J. Tracy is the 36th individual to hold the post as Police Commissioner.

Ranks and insignia

Title	Insignia	Shirt Color	Badge Color	Information
Police Chief		White	Gold	The Police Commissioner is the person in charge of running the entire police department. The Police Commissioner is appointed by the Mayor & Highest member in the Metropolitan Police Department.
Lieutenant Colonel		White	Gold	Lieutenant Colonel's are in charge of a Bureau.
Major		White	Gold	Majors are in charge of a Patrol Division.
Captain		White	Gold	Captains are in-command of a station.
Lieutenant		White	Gold	Lieutenants are assigned to geographic patrol and detective divisions and are responsible for supervising patrol sergeants, police officers and detectives who carry out day-to-day, routine crime suppression and investigative functions
Sergeant		Dark Blue	Silver w/ Gol-Ray panels	Sergeants are responsible for the direct supervision of their patrol division and the conduct, appearance and performance of personnel assigned under their command.
Police Officer/Detective	No Insignia	Dark Blue	Silver	Police Officers/Detectives Perform duties within a specific area to protect life and property, and enforce laws and ordinances using tactful and courteous treatment of the public and conscientious and efficient performance of duties.
Probationary Police Officer	No Insignia	Dark Blue	Silver	Following graduation from the academy, officers receive the title Probationary Police Officer (PPO) for twelve months until being promoted to Police Officer.
Police Cadet	No Insignia	Dark Blue	No Badge	The goal of the program is to provide interested individuals between the ages of 18 and 20½ with paid, on the job training and exposure to various police department units; the opportunity to earn course credit; and the foundation to be successful and well-prepared upon entering the St. Louis Police Academy once turning 20½.

Police Officer (Trainee) is the initial rank of oncoming Metropolitan Police officers, held while undergoing training at the Metropolitan Police Academy.

Police Commissioner

Police Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Department – City of St. Louis is an office held by the highest-ranking member of the Metropolitan Police Department. St. Louis has had 36 police chiefs (including interim chiefs) since 1861. For a full list of past and current police commissioners, visit the Commissioner of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department page.

Lieutenant Colonel

Lieutenant Colonels command the Bureaus of Professional Standards, Support Operations, and Operations and Crime Control Strategies.

• Lieutenant Colonel Renee Kriesmann, Commander, Bureau of Operations

• Lieutenant Colonel Michael Sack, Commander, Bureau of Professional Standards

• Lieutenant Colonel Eric Larson, Commander, Bureau of Crime Control Strategies

• Lieutenant Colonel Ryan Cousins, Commander, Bureau of Support Operations

Majors

The rank of Major is the third-highest rank in the Department, reporting directly to a Lieutenant Colonel. Each Major serves as a member of the Senior Command staff and assists each Lieutenant Colonel in managing civilian and commissioned personnel within their assigned areas.

• Major Latricia Allen, Commander of the Bureau of Investigative Services

• Major Janice Bockstruck, Commander of the Bureau of Professional Standards

• Major Joseph Morici, Office of the Commissioner

• Major Michael Mueller, Commander of the Bureau of Specialized Enforcement

• Major Shawn Dace, Deputy Commander of the Bureau of Operations

• Major Donnell Moore, Commander of the North Patrol Division

• Major Edward Benoist, Commander of the Central Patrol Division

• Major Christi Marks, Commander of the South Patrol Division

Police Officer

All potential candidates for the position of Police Officer must undergo a written examination, oral board panel and review, physical agility testing, psychological screening, drug testing and intensive background investigation. The number of candidates accepted is less than 25 percent of overall applicants. New officers are hired as probationary employees at the rank of Police Trainee. Upon successful completion of the six-month police academy, they are appointed as a probationary Police Officer. Upon successful completion of 3 months of field training and an additional 1-year probationary period, they attain their full rank.

Police Fleet

The department utilizes a variety of vehicles, including the Ford Police Interceptor, Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor (CVPI), the Dodge Charger, the Chevrolet Tahoe, the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and 2500 series, the Chevrolet Impala 9C1, the Chevrolet Caprice, and the Ford F-150 and F-250. Both regularly marked and slicktop vehicles are used frequently. Each officer is issued the Beretta 92D 9mm handgun which has been standard issue since 1992. As of 2017 it was reported that the department would be getting new 9mm Beretta pistols to replace the currently issued aging 92D.

Bureaus

The department is divided into five bureaus which are typically commanded by a Major. The bureaus fit under four umbrellas: Crime Control Strategies, Support Operations, and Professional Standards and Operations. Bureaus are often subdivided into smaller divisions and units

Bureau of Operations

The City of St. Louis is divided geographically into three area patrol stations and six police districts and 6 substations. Each patrol division is commanded by a major and each district is commanded by a captain.

Television

The homicide detectives of SLMPD will be featured in A&E's reality series The First 48.

See also

• List of law enforcement agencies in Missouri

References

1. "The St.Louis Police Department: Then and Now". St.Louis Police Museum. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
2. Public Safety: Departmental Responsibilities 2019
3. ^ "Public Safety: Annual Operating Plan" (PDF). Budget Division. July 3, 2019. p. 3. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
4. for St Louis, Missouri in 2021
5. "Chief: St. Louis police budget gap can be met without layoffs". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. February 16, 2012. Retrieved October 1, 2012.
6. ^ Scheiber, Noam; Stockman, Farah; Goodman, J. David (June 6, 2020). "How Police Unions Became Such Powerful Opponents to Reform Efforts". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
7. "Police Accountability Tool". Mapping Police Violence. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
8. "Department History" (PDF). SLMPD.org.
9. "Department CALEA TRI-ARC Award". calea.org. November 8, 2023.
10. "Fallen Officers". Officer Down Memorial Page.
11. "2020 Annual Report" (PDF). SLMPD.org.
12. "Work For the City". stlouis-mo.gov. Retrieved September 18, 2019.
13. Lippmann, Rachel (February 17, 2017). "Krewson demands St. Louis police union fire Roorda over Facebook post". news.stlpublicradio.org. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
14. "Police organizations in St. Louis have separate predominantly white and black organizations". Daily Kos. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
15. ^ Byers, Robert Patrick, Christine (December 2018). "St. Louis cops accused of beating colleague and covering it up appear in court; officials quiet". stltoday.com. Retrieved February 1, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
16. Friedersdorf, Conor (December 3, 2018). "Sadism in the St. Louis Police Department". The Atlantic. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
17. Stack, Liam (January 30, 2019). "St. Louis Prosecutor Accuses Police of Obstructing Inquiry Into Killing of Officer". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
18. Kilgore, Ed (November 29, 2018). "4 St. Louis Police Officers Indicted on Federal Civil Rights Charges". Intelligencer. Retrieved February 2, 2019.
19. Neuman, Scott (August 10, 2014). "St. Louis Police: Black Teen Shot In Altercation With Officers". NPR. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
20. Cox, Eric. "St. Louis lieutenant accused of making racist Facebook post". KMOV.com. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
21. Bates, Clara (December 17, 2024). "Kerwin Harris died after a St. Louis cop held him in a chokehold. It was ruled an accident • Missouri Independent". Missouri Independent. Retrieved December 19, 2024.
22. "'Rogue' Cop Randy Hays Pleads Guilty in Beating of Undercover St. Louis Police Officer", Riverfront Times, Doyle Murphy, November 8, 2019.
23. Byers, Christine (November 30, 2018). "Undercover officer who was beaten had extensive injuries, has not returned to work". stltoday.com. Retrieved July 17, 2019.
24. "Sadism in the St. Louis Police Department", The Atlantic, Conor Friedersdorf, December 3, 2018.
25. "St. Louis cops accused of beating colleague and covering it up appear in court; officials quiet". stltoday.com. December 2018. Retrieved July 17, 2019.
26. ^ "St. Louis officer pleads guilty to covering up attack on fellow officer during Stockley protests", KMOV, Lauren Trager, September 6, 2019.
27. "Ex-St. Louis cop pleads guilty in beating of fellow officer after allegedly saying, 'Going rogue feels good'", Fox News, Bradford Betz.
28. ^ "Fifth officer charged in beatdown of undercover cop at protest", The St. Louis American, Rebecca Rivas, December 17, 2019.
29. "No convictions in case of undercover officer beaten during 2017 protest". March 29, 2021.
30. Patrick, Robert (September 17, 2019) Undercover St. Louis cop sues city, police over his violent arrest during protests St. Louis Post-Dispatch
31. Kinsaul, Russell. "Mayor Krewson speaks out on 'exclusion list' controversy". KMOV.com.
32. "Another 15 St. Louis police officers added to top prosecutor's exclusion list". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. September 26, 2020. Retrieved September 27, 2020.
33. Mervosh, Sarah (January 26, 2019). "St. Louis Officer Charged in Fatal Russian Roulette Shooting of Another Officer, Authorities Say". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 2, 2019.
34. Stack, Liam (January 30, 2019). "St. Louis Prosecutor Accuses Police of Obstructing Inquiry Into Killing of Officer". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 2, 2019.
35. Byers, Robert Patrick, Christine (December 2018). "St. Louis cops accused of beating colleague and covering it up appear in court; officials quiet". stltoday.com. Retrieved February 2, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
36. Murphy, Doyle. "Russian Roulette Shooting of St. Louis Cop Would Be 'Intentional Act,' Judge Says". Riverfront Times. Retrieved February 2, 2019.
37. Eric Levenson (January 31, 2019). "St. Louis Police chief fires back at circuit attorney's criticism in Russian roulette killing". CNN. Retrieved February 2, 2019.
38. Lou, Michelle; Jones, Julia, (June 19, 2019) Philadelphia, St. Louis police departments roiled by racist and hateful Facebook posts CNN
39. Schlinkmann, Mark; Rice, Rachel (June 4, 2019) Police investigate racist and anti-Muslim Facebook posts linked to St. Louis officers St. Louis Post-Dispatch
40. "Cops Across The US Have Been Exposed Posting Racist And Violent Things On Facebook. Here's The Proof". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved July 17, 2019.
41. Michelle Lou and Julia Jones (June 19, 2019). "Philadelphia, St. Louis police departments roiled by racist and hateful Facebook posts". CNN. Retrieved July 17, 2019.
42. Cite error: The named reference NYTimesInfo was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
43. Cite error: The named reference APInfo was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
44. Krishnan, Manisha (December 21, 2023). "Police Didn't Breathalyze or Drug Test Cop Who Drove Into Gay Bar". Vice. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
45. Krull, Ryan. "Cop in Bar:PM Arrest Was Accused of Breaking Arrestee's Bones in 2019". Riverfront Times. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
46. Huguelet, Austin (March 12, 2024). "A police major said officer crashes aren't up in St. Louis. But they are". STLtoday.com. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
47. Wicentowski, Danny (February 1, 2024). "The search for a secret audit of SLMPD's Force Investigative Unit". STLPR. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
48. Messenger, Tony (January 29, 2024). "Internal audit slams shoddy investigations of police shootings. St. Louis keeps it secret". STLtoday.com. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
49. https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/9/0d/90d55413-0099-53bb-9d98-f9ea217b7387/60b16c5af1442.pdf.pdf
50. "Robert Tracy Named Police Commissioner". KSDK. January 9, 2023.
51. "SLMPD Careers". SLMPD.org.
52. "St. Louis Police Sells Thompson Submachine Guns". www.shootingillustrated.com.
53. "Contact SLMPD". www.slmpd.org. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
54. "SLMPD Your Neighborhood". slmpd.org.
55. "First 48 - St Louis City Police".

External links

• Official website

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