ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - The former St. Louis firefighter who pled guilty to stealing cash and credit cards from a teenage traffic accident victim is back under employment by the city.
Arnold Britt left the department and was sentenced in September 2024 to three years probation. Britt pleaded guilty to receiving stolen property and fraudulent use of a credit card this past summer after stealing the card and $600 in cash off the victim of a car crash.
Now, Britt is back, now working as an inspector in the City's Building Division. KMOX has confirmed Britt was rehired by the City in December to be a building inspector.
The City of St. Louis is a second chance employer, meaning a criminal conviction cannot be used by the city as a reason not to hire an individual.
When the city fires someone and they apply for a job to return, that application is automatically flagged. However, since Britt resigned from the fire department before being fired, his application did not raise any flags.
The Building Division has been under an F.B.I. investigation for alleged self-dealing.
St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones' Office released a statement Friday on the hiring of Britt.
"Recent reporting has made us aware that a former employee of the St. Louis Fire Department has been rehired to the Building Division, despite a pre-existing criminal record," said Mayor Jones' Office. "While the City of St. Louis is a proud second-chance employer, we recognize that certain jobs are not appropriate for certain applicants based on prior actions."
"We have spoken with the Department of Personnel and they have agreed to update their guidelines when evaluating background checks for positions that require public trust."
KMOX has reached out to representatives of the Department of Personnel and the Department of Public Safety which oversees both the Fire Department and Building Division and is awaiting response.