As KMOX has reported, the state of Missouri is one step closer to regaining control of the St. Louis police department. The House passed a bill last week supporting the move. Representative Donna Baringer, a Democrat representing the City of St. Louis, joined The Show on KMOX to talk about why she voted in support of the measure — and what reservations she has.
Baringer pointed out that the bill is still in its infancy, and that once it goes to the Senate and comes back to the House it will likely have undergone lots of changes. She added that she supported the bill because it’s about more than just state control.
“Crime is out of control in the city of St. Louis,” she said. She pointed to three things this bill does that would help curb crime.
“The first thing is that we need to have a circuit attorney that's going to prosecute so we can get some of the criminals off the streets. The second thing is we need to support the police. And if this bill is something they see as supporting them, then that was the reason I was a yes on this one. That doesn't mean I'm a yes on the one that comes back. But then the third thing is — and that's the big negotiator — is we've got to get the guns out of the hands of these minors.”
Beyond that, she said, it’s about ensuring that the police union has a contract and the funding they need to buy equipment.
Baringer added that crime in the city will not be reduced just by an increase in policing. But she said that there is enough energy across the city and the state to address crime in a multifaceted way.
“I started last summer on a special task force, and it was Democrats and Republicans, and I showed them the videos of the minors carrying guns down the streets of St. Louis and they were in shock,” Baringer said. “It was a culture shock, and that's what I'm trying to overcome, and I think it’s working.”
By showing those videos to people from more rural areas of the state, she said, she was able to show others that approaching crime needs a multi pronged approach.
“I actually am hopeful that by the end of the session, which is the second week of May, that somehow every aspect of this will be addressed somehow in the best way for the city of St. Louis,” she said. “I want nothing but the best for my city. I love my city. But right now, my city is in trouble.”
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