ST. LOUIS – St. Louis Metropolitan’s police chief released a report of his first 100 days with the department as their commissioner.
RELATED: Hayden's first 100 days
In the report, Hayden said the department is at its lowest staffing level in history.
“To address crime challenges with our current manpower deficiencies is difficult. We are currently down over 130 commissioned police officers which puts our Department at the lowest staffing level in history.”
Hayden didn’t address how he’s going to fix the staffing at the department, but he did address how they will tackle crime.
“To be successful at addressing crime, I am taking the focus off Police Headquarters and putting it where it belongs – in our neighborhoods. I want my top commanders, our most experienced officers, managing our most important asset, the neighborhood patrol divisions. These commanders will be tasked with finding new and innovative solutions to address crime,” Hayden said in the release.
In 2017, Prop P passed in the City of St. Louis. St. Louis voters approved a half-cent sales tax increase to fund pay raises for police. The ballot proposal will generate about $20 million in revenue each year, allowing for an average raise of up to $6,000 per officer. The median salary in St. Louis is around $51,600.
READ MORE: St. Louis passes Prop P by 60-40 margin
