ST. LOUIS (KMOX) – In the midst of a week marked by friction with police, Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner calls for sentencing reforms to keep low-level offenders from going to prison.
Appearing at a news conference with the NAACP and the Vera Institute at St. Lukes Memorial Baptist Church on Finney Avenue, Gardner released data showing the progress of her reforms.
The announcement came a day after Gardner accused the police department of "obstruction" in denying her request for a blood sample of the two male officers who were in the apartment when Officer Katlyn Alix was fatally shot in an alleged gun game.
Gardner has also traded jabs this week with the police union, over her decision to file assault charges against two officers involved in a non-fatal shooting with a man they were trying to arrest on the parking lot of Bomber O'Briens bar in April of 208.
St. Louis Police Officers Association Business Manager Jeff Roorda says he was "astounded" that Gardner charged the police officers and not the suspect, whom Roorda described as a "would-be cop killer."
Asked about the flap with Roorda, Gardner brushed aside his criticism, saying he's "not credible" and he's "biased in favor of the police."
Roorda responded that Gardner's reputation among the police has sunk to a new low.
"She tries to dismiss my comments as not credible, but I represent eleven-hundred police officers, and I can tell you--nobody has any confidence in her ability to do her job and keep this city safe," Roorda said.
Gardner says she takes no delight in charging police officers, but she has to go where the evidence leads her. In the charging documents for the two officers at the Bomber O'Briens shooting, it's alleged they were off-duty, in plain clothes and had failed to identify themselves as police officers.
"It's devastating for a prosecutor to have to charge any police officer, like it's devastating for a prosecutor to charge anyone in the community. We all are affected by that," Gardner said, "For someone to think this is a great day for the prosecutor--this is not."
Gardner says she has a good working relationship with the police. Later this week, she's scheduled to meet with the police chief and the director of public safety to discuss the points of disagreement over recent cases.
Among the reforms she announced today:
In 2018 her office declined to prosecute 64 percent of all the cases referred to it by the police department.
Since January 2017, Gardner's office has screened over 600 people arrested for programs aimed at diverting them away from prison time and into job counseling and drug and mental health treatment. Of those admitted to the program, Gardner says 88 percent have either graduated or are close to graduating.