ST. LOUIS — Missouri state lawmakers head back to Jefferson City Monday for a special session on violent crime.
Gov. Mike Parson called the session July 15 and was in St. Louis on Friday to meet with city leaders about the issue.
“Every day we delay on this, somebody's dying, and we all know that,” the governor said.
Here are the topics lawmakers plan to address:
- Police and Public Safety Employee Residency Requirements for St. Louis: The proposal would eliminate the residency requirement for St. Louis law enforcement as long as the officer lives within an hour of the city. Some say the residency requirement hinders recruitment for the police department, which is 130 officers short.
- Juvenile Certification: This proposal requires the court to determine if a juvenile should be certified for trial as an adult for the offense of unlawful use of a weapon and armed criminal action.
- Witness Statement Admissibility: This proposal would allow certain statements to be admissible in court that would otherwise not be allowed under the current statute.
- Witness Protection Fund: This proposal creates the Pretrial Witness Protection Fund. Lawmakers say they hope it would encourage more people to come forward and help police solve crimes.
- Endangering the Welfare of a Child: This proposal modifies the offense of endangering the welfare of a child for a person who encourages a child to engage in any weapons offense.
- Unlawful Transfer of Weapons: This proposal would increase the penalty for a person who knowingly sells or delivers any firearm to a child under 18 years old without the consent of the child’s parent or guardian.
But police reform is not on the agenda.
“We need the governor to get on board now,” Sen. Brian Williams (D-MO 19th) said.
Williams is hoping Parson will add it to the session but said his colleagues could offer it as a floor amendment.
“You see it nationally, you see it here in Missouri. Folks are ready for police reform. Not just Democrats but Republicans as well,” Williams said.
Republican State Representative Shamed Dogan (R-MO 98th) has called for a special session on police reform.
“I think certainly in the wake of George Floyd's death I think we should be trying to build consensus between law enforcement and community members,” Dogan said. “We can walk and chew gum at the same time, we should be able to do both at the same time, but that’s not what the governor has chosen to do at this point.”
Dogan said he remains hopeful police reform will be addressed at a later date if not during this session.
Williams said he's not advocating for defunding police but banning choke-holds, doing away with no-knock warrants and creating uniform police training statewide.
Community trust in the police plays a key role in fighting crime, he said.
“If the community doesn't feel comfortable talking to law enforcement, how do we expect there to be any cooperation when it comes to solving crimes?” he said.
5 On Your Side will have a crew in Jefferson City for the special session.
