The Metropolitan Police Department, City of St. Louis (SLMPD), is the primary law enforcement agency for the City of St. Louis, The department is accredited through the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA). The current Commissioner of Police is Colonel John Hayden Jr., who was named to the position on December 28, 2017.^[6]

The Metropolitan Police Department is a division of the Public Safety Department - City of St. Louis. The Metropolitan Police Department is the second largest city police agency in Missouri, based on number of employees, city population, and geographic area served.

The Metropolitan Police Department was established in 1808, five years after St. Louis became part of the United States. The department was created with only four officers, who received no pay. Able-bodied men age 18 and older were required to patrol for four months of the year. This was the only police system for the next 10 years. Refusal to serve on patrol carried a fine of $1.^[7]

In 2017, the composition of the department's total personnel was:

Starting salary for St. Louis City police officers in 2019 is $47,815 ^[9]

Officers are represented by the: St. Louis Police Officers Association (SLPOA). The St. Louis Ethical Society of Police (ESOP), formerly known as St. Louis Black Police Officers Association until 1975, represents African American police officers by providing legal counsel and other benefits; however, the SLPOA is the only recognized bargaining unit for officers.^[10] SLPOA employs author and decommissioned Arnold police officer Jeff Roorda as business manager. In the 2017 city mayoral election, incumbant Lyda Krewson called for Roorda to be fired due to social media comments directed at candidate Tishaura Jones and declared that he would not be welcomed in her office if elected.^[11]

The Metropolitan Police Department is headed by a Commissioner of Police . Currently, the Commissioner of Police is John Hayden Jr. who replaced former Commissioner of Police Sam Dotson in 2017.

The Metropolitan Police Department is composed of four bureaus:

^[12]

The Commissioner serves as the senior sworn member of the SLMPD. John Hayden Jr. is the 35th individual to hold the post, which prior to 1806 was known as the Chief Inspector and that as Chief of Police and after that Commissioner of Police.^[13]

The Commissioner of Police reports directly to the Mayor of St. Louis.

The rank of Lieutenant Colonel is the second-highest rank in the Department, reporting directly to the Commissioner of Police. Each Deputy Chief serves as a member of the Senior Command staff and assists the Commissioner of Police in managing civilian and commissioned personnel.^[14]

^[15]

The structure of the Senior Command staff of The Police is:

Police Officer (Trainee) is the initial rank of oncoming Metropolitan Police officers, held while undergoing training at the Metropolitan Police Academy.^[16]

The Department is divided into four bureaus^[17] which are typically commanded by a deputy chief (such as a Lieutenant Colonel or a Police Major). The bureaus fit under four umbrellas: Investigative Services, Community Policing, and Specialized Enforcement and Investigations . Bureaus are often subdivided into smaller divisions and units

The Homicide Detectives of SLMPD will be featured in A&E's reality series The First 48.^[18]

In July 2016, the Metropolitan Police Department unveiled Operation Polar Cops ice cream truck. The truck is operated by the Community Engagement/Organizational Development Division (CEODD) and provides free ice cream treats at various locations throughout the City of St. Louis. The mission of Operation Polar Cops is to cultivate positive interactions between our officers and the citizens we serve.^[19]

The SLMPD utilizes a variety of vehicles, including the Ford Police Interceptor (CVPI), the Dodge Charger, the Chevrolet Tahoe, the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and 2500 series, the Chevrolet Impala 9C1, the Chevrolet Caprice, the Ford Police Interceptor (sedan), and the Ford F-150 and F-250. Both regularly marked and slicktop vehicles are used frequently. Each officer is issued the Beretta 92D 9mm handgun which has been standard issue since 1992. As of 2017 it was reported that the department would be getting new 9mm Beretta pistols to replace the currently issued aging Beretta 92D.^[20]

From April 28, 1836, to January 24, 2019, the Officer Down Memorial Page reported that 170 officers in the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department died in the line of duty,^[21] 89 of them from gunfire,^[22] 38 from automobile-related incidents, and three from heart attacks.^[22] Many families of those killed in the line of duty get support from BackStoppers, a local charity.

The causes of death are as follows:

SLMPD provides law enforcement services to Three Area Patrol Stations throughout the City of St.Louis:^[23]

Each patrol division is commanded by a major and each district is commanded by a captain.

^[24]

3rd District

4th District

^[24]

5th District

6th District

^[24]

1st District

2nd District

The Force Investigative Unit (FIU) was established in September 2014 as the entity responsible for the criminal investigation of all officer-involved shootings. The FIU investigates all officer-involved shootings occurring within the City of St. Louis involving commissioned officers of the Metropolitan Police Department, as well as commissioned officers of any other jurisdiction. Before the initiation of the FIU, the department researched and visited several other police departments to ensure the best policies and practices were implemented. The FIU consists of a lieutenant and four detectives dedicated solely to investigating officer-involved shootings. The team responses directly to the scene of each incident, allowing detectives to conduct a thorough investigation of the case. Under the new policies, once the FIU's investigation concludes, the case is then turned over to the Circuit Attorney's Office for review.^[25]

In 2004, the St. Charles County Police Department, the Metropolitan Police Department, City of St. Louis, and the St. Louis County Police Department joined together to share resources and created the Metro Air Support. In 2007, the fleet included six helicopters, one fixed-wing airplane, six pilots, and eight crew chiefs.^[26]

The SLMPD has been accused of involvement in several incidents of alleged police misconduct,^[27][28] obstruction of justice,^[27][29] violations of civil rights,^[30] and racial prejudice.^[31][32]

See: Shooting of Anthony Lamar Smith

Three Saint Louis police officers were charged with felony assault against an undercover police officer during the 2017 Saint Louis protests, with an additional fourth police officer, Bailey Colletta, being charged with providing false testimony to a grand jury.^[33] The undercover officer Luther Hall, according to the indictment, had been extensively assaulted by the three officers resulting in an injured tailbone, two herniated discs, and a jaw injury that prevented Hall from eating resulting in a twenty pound weight loss. According to the prosecutors office these injuries were sustained by Hall after officers Myers, Hays, and Boone used excessive force in the form of kicking Hall and beating him with their police batons.^[34]

In 2019 a controversy ensued regarding the existence of a list of 28 officers in the Metropolitan Department that were to be excluded from acting as witnesses in future prosecutions due to a history of misconduct.^[35] This list was created by circuit attorney Kimberly M. Gardner's office.^[35]

On January 24, police arrived at the residence of SLMPD officer Nathaniel Hendren following reports of gunshots, upon arrival police found 24-year-old officer Katlyn Alix fatally shot in the chest, following an alleged game of Russian roulette.^[36] Saint Louis circuit attorney Kimberly M. Gardner criticized the investigation, stating that the department was obstructing the investigation of the shooting, claiming investigators refused to allow a sample of Officer Hendren's blood be tested for alcohol and other substances.^[37][38][39] St. Louis Metropolitan Police Commissioner John Hayden Jr. responded to criticism of the investigation as unfounded.^[40]

In June 2019 officers and employees from numerous police departments in the United States were found to have participated in a number of private groups on Facebook that shared content that was described as racist,^[41] violent, and Islamophobic.^[42] This information was published online by the Plain View Project, which had viewed and documented the social-media accounts of 2,900 officers from eight separate departments, finding twenty percent of those users posted bmaterial that was determined to meet the threshold of being offensive.^[43] At least 22 officers in the Metropolitan department were found to have participated in the closed-groups, St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly M. Gardner stated that these officers would be added to a list of officers who have been determined to be unable to provide witness testimony in criminal prosecutions.^[44]

Former St. Louis police officer William C. Olsten was charged with three counts of felony third-degree assault on July 17, 2019 for allegations of pepper-spraying three protesters outside of Busch Stadium in 2017 against the acquittal of Officer Jason Stockley,^[45]