Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe, the man who appointed the Board of Police Commissioners, criticized their decision to give Chief of Police Robert Tracy a raise over the weekend.
"Literally doesn't pass the smell test with a lot of St. Louisans," said Kehoe when discussing how the new deal came together. The deal was approved during a Saturday emergency meeting of the police board.
Tracy's new contract pays him $295,000 annually, a significant raise from the three year contract he signed about a year ago, which paid him $185,000.
Tracy also worked a side job with UMSL, which paid him $100,000 annually. When Tracy was first hired, he had a similar boost in his salary from the Police Foundation.
Kehoe says "The timing of it and the process has me believing the board, who are good people, might not have gotten the best advice."
Kehoe was also critical of the Chief's approach to receiving the new contract. "This is not a slam of the Chief, but as a business person, I've never been very good of somebody putting [up] an artificial time demand... especially when it occurs over a weekend."
Kehoe joins the Police Union and Mayor Cara Spencer in criticizing the deal and how it was handled.
