ST. LOUIS, Mo. (KMOX) — While we've been hearing about plans firming up for a city-county merger, police in St. Louis County apparently have been plotting a merger of their own.
The Post-Dispatch and Business Journal both report County Police Chief Jon Belmar asked for the drafting of a "concept paper" that outlines how the city and county could be policed by just one department. Belmar says if the city and county were to merge their police departments, it could mean more officers on the street.
Related: Would St. Louis City and County Be "Better Together" in New Plan?
His combined department would have 2,654 commissioned officers. Right now the city has 1,328 and the county has 1,006. There'd be 17 precincts, stretching from Downtown to Wildwood. Here's the districts Belmar has in mind:
- Airport
- Affton
- Baden
- Central West End
- Dogtown
- Downtown
- Dutchtown
- Fenton
- Jamestown/Black Jack
- Jennings
- Northwest City
- Riverfront
- Soulard
- South County
- Spanish Lake
- West County
- Wildwood.
One option is having the city disband its department and contract with the county.
But the Mayor and County Executive both issued a statement to the Post-Dispatch, saying they support a plan that includes policing standards for those 53 other departments.
Related: St. Louis County Executive Steve Stenger Reacts to "Better Together" Plan
Belmar tells the Business Journal that the region, lest it survive, needs to focus on its "corporate and tourist center."
