ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — St. Louis County has hired a firm to assess personnel concerns at the Justice Center.
The firm, Vera Causa Group LLC, will also identify areas of review for a comprehensive investigation of the Justice Services Department.
This investigation is something County Executive Sam Page and the Justice Services Advisory Board have called for, according to a press release.
The leaders of the firm, Jennifer Joyce and Susan Ryan, have expertise in human resources and the criminal justice system, the release said. They will be working with staff from the county’s counselor’s office to conduct the initial investigation.
Joyce is the former St. Louis Circuit Attorney. Ryan worked as Joyce's spokesperson and also worked for the current St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner.
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The investigation will include phone and video conference interviews with several employees and a mandatory, anonymous online survey for every employee to complete.
The data collected in the investigation will be included in a confidential report for St. Louis County Counselor Beth Orwick, the release said.
“As the chief legal counsel for the county, I want to make sure that each of you is working in an environment in which you feel supported and heard,” Orwick said in a letter to employees. “As a result of complaints brought to my attention, I have arranged for an investigation of personnel matters and other issues in the Justice Center.”
The investigation is expected to begin this week and will take about two weeks to complete.
