Missouri Gov. Parson calls special session on violent crime. But not police reform
Gov. Mike Parson is calling a special legislative session in Missouri “narrowly focused” on violent crime.
The session will begin on Monday, July 27, Parson announced Wednesday afternoon, surrounded on stage by masked law enforcement leaders from around the state.
“The effects of violent crime across our state are best measured in lives — innocent lives lost, futures cut short and families hurting,” Parson said.
There have been 130 homicides in St. Louis and 101 in Kansas City so far this year, Parson said. Both cities are well ahead of their 2019 homicide rates.
The session will not, however, address the root cause of widespread protests around the state, which aim to draw attention to police brutality and racial injustice in law enforcement.
“There are going to be a lot of questions asked about the other things that are being talked about with the things that involve the protests around the state,” Parson said. “Those issues will come. Those conversations will take place, but they need to take place in a legislative session where there’s time to deal with it.”
Parson, who spent 12 years as sheriff of Polk County, took several opportunities to heap praise on law enforcement.
“People need to understand the sacrifices that law enforcement officers make every day — especially with everything that’s going on in our state right now,” Parson said. “If there was ever a time to stand up for law enforcement, now is the time.”
He said police officers are “maxed to their limit” from dealing with protests.
“They have been dealing with crime underneath the blanket of peaceful protest along with the violence that goes on every day in their jobs,” Parson said.
Jackson County Democratic Rep. Ashley Bland Manlove said she was “furious” about the governor “passing the buck” on the root causes of violent crime.
“He’s going to over-police instead of addressing the violence from a social aspect,” Bland Manlove said. “We know violence comes from people being desperate and in dire situations, and his lack of focus on the root causes and simple gun protection laws are what’s going to keep our numbers increasing.”
She said police reform is needed to fix the system.
“If police were policing properly on mass levels and letting the community know that we are getting rid of bad cops and not just transferring them to another district, kids would want to be cops again,” Bland Manlove said.
The special session will focus on six provisions connected to violent crime, Parson said. They include creation of a witness protection fund, expansion of the kinds of statements admissible in court and elimination of residency requirements for St. Louis police officers.
Additional provisions would increase the penalty for knowingly selling a firearm to a minor without parental consent, modify the child endangerment offense for encouraging a minor to engage in a weapons offense, and require a court to determine if a juvenile should be tried as an adult for unlawful use of a weapon.
St. Louis County Rep. Shamed Dogan, the only Black Republican in the Missouri House, said in a tweet that he supports Parson’s call for a special session but that “we can also support law enforcement and oppose police misconduct at the same time.”
“Holding a special session regarding crime and not even attempting to reach a consensus on the urgent need for police reform would be a big missed opportunity,” Dogan said.
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas sent Parson a letter earlier this month asking for the special session, noting that in his 11 months as mayor, “no issue has presented a greater challenge to my city than the epidemic of violent crime, particularly gun violence, on the streets of Kansas City.”
In a news conference on the south steps of City Hall on Wednesday afternoon, Lucas thanked Parson for “heeding our call” and convening a special session. He said the two spoke on Tuesday and that they agreed on enhancing witness protections.
Missouri lacks a comprehensive witness protection program and Kansas City police detectives have had to use their own money to relocate witnesses during murder investigations, The Star reported in late 2019.
“We hear time and time again here in Kansas City … about situations where there are folks that want to talk but cannot feel safe, do not feel safe being in their community, and our witness protection funding will be an important part of it,” Lucas said.
But that was the only policy plank of the six Parson outlined that he said would be a “game changer.”
“I think there are much better steps and bolder steps we can make to address our violent crime problems,” Lucas said. “So like I said, I think one out of the six proposals can be a game-changer in Missouri. I think five out of the six will not move the needle as much as one would hope.”
Last year, the City Council adopted a series of ordinances meant to keep firearms away from minors and domestic abusers. Lucas said he would have liked to see similar state policies. He said Missouri was missing an opportunity to increase funding for mental health.
“Our 1980s and 1990s approaches to enforcement will not address our long-term crime issues. We can’t just put people in prison longer,” Lucas said. “We need to find more ways to creatively solve crimes.”
Parson’s announcement came just before news broke that two Missouri House of Representative employees tested positive for COVID-19. The governor said he would support efforts to provide COVID-19 testing for people working in the capitol during the session.
This story was originally published July 15, 2020 at 4:29 PM.
