ST. LOUIS (AP) - St. Louis Police Chief John Hayden is calling for the repeal of the city’s residency requirement so his department can hire more officers to combat violence.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that Hayden said in a video posted Wednesday on social media that the department is 147 officers down from authorized strength of 1,328 officers.
Firefighters and police with seven years’ service are allowed to live outside the city, but other employees aren’t. Mayor Lyda Krewson urged aldermen in May to ask voters to repeal it for most city workers.
The St. Louis Police Officers Association has opposed the residency requirement since it was enacted in 1973. But the ordinance’s supporters say having officers live in the city they patrol invests them in the community.
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Information from: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, http://www.stltoday.com
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