Could the St. Louis Circuit Attorney's office and county prosecutors' office be combined into one regional unit?
Several local mayors have called for it to happen but it would likely require state legislative action. County Executive Sam Page tells KMOX News that if lawmakers did okay the move, there would be an election to determine who should head up both jurisdictions.
"If that person is Wesley Bell, I'm sure he'll do a good job, but the most immediate need is to reduce the backlog of cases in the Circuit Attorney's office as promptly as possible," Page says.
State lawmakers are already debating whether to assign a special prosecutor to take over Kim Gardner's office. The mayors pushing to combine the jurisdictions say crime is a regional problem that needs a regional solution.