My Veto

I support the creation of a civilian review board. By making the investigation of allegations of police misconduct more transparent, I believe a CRB will improve the trust and communication between our citizens and the police department. That trust is essential if we are going to make all of our neighborhoods safer.

However, Board Bill #69, recently approved by the Board of Aldermen, has legal flaws so fatal that it could never be implemented. As a result, I am vetoing BB #69 and will immediately begin work to implement a civilian review board that will stand up to a court challenge.

To ensure we create a civilian review board as quickly as possible, I am doing the following:

• I am asking the St. Louis Board of Police Commissioners to issue a new order to create, implement, and fund a civilian review board.

• I am issuing an Executive Order to establish a CRB appointment process consistent with BB #69. I am going to ask the Board of Aldermen to recommend individuals to me for appointment from seven sub-districts as recommended in BB #69. This will ensure diversity and community input.

I want to thank Alderman Terry Kennedy. He has been a tireless champion of a civilian review board. Without his leadership, we would not have come this far. It is my hope that we will have the region’s first civilian review board in place by this summer.

Finally, the complicated process necessary to get this far demonstrates clearly that St. Louis should have its own police department and be free to make its own decisions on important matters.

Read the documents:

• Mayor Slay’s veto letter
  
• The City’s legal analysis
  
• Mayor Slay’s executive order
  
• Mayor Slay’s proposed revisions