BEL-NOR — Some residents in this tight-knit community of 1,400 people are questioning why city leaders are staying silent after their surprise announcement that the police department is disbanding at the end of the month and Bel-Nor would begin working with St. John police.
Neighboring officials in Normandy, meanwhile, say they’re confused as to why Bel-Nor isn’t giving them a chance to pitch their police department as a replacement in Bel-Nor, known for its well-maintained homes and tree-lined streets alongside the University of Missouri-ºüÀêÊÓƵ campus.
Bel-Nor is the latest small north ºüÀêÊÓƵ County municipality to disband its police department and another example of the political maneuvering that ensues in fragmented ºüÀêÊÓƵ County when police contracts and their associated revenue are up for grabs. Last month, Velda City’s department shut down after an agreement to contract services to Hillsdale was narrowly defeated on a 3-2 vote at the board of aldermen. Velda City ended up approving a police contract with Pagedale earlier this month, city attorney Anthony Gray said.
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Bel-Nor’s decision to dissolve its police department blindsided many residents, who point out the announcement was released after a contested aldermanic election and late on a Friday — a tactic sometimes used to minimize news coverage as people disengage for the weekend.
On April 5, Bel-Nor released a statement saying its board of aldermen had “made the difficult decision to discontinue having its own Police Department,†citing the rising costs of insurance, vehicles and wages. The board had met three days earlier, April 2, and gone into closed session. Minutes on any vote that was taken in closed session weren’t immediately available.
Bel-Nor said its police department will close April 25 and the city planned to have St. John’s police department respond to calls “until permanent arrangements can be made.â€
“The process of finding a good match for our residents to feel comfortable with began immediately upon receiving notice that some of our officers had been offered positions at other agencies and intended to tender their resignations,†the Bel-Nor statement said.
The Bel-Nor Board of Aldermen plans to vote at its regular meeting Monday evening to authorize the city to negotiate an agreement with St. John police.
The struggles of Bel-Nor’s police department, which employed six officers and constituted more than half of the city’s $750,000 operating budget in 2022, hadn’t been discussed during a public town hall on various city initiatives held last month. The city posted a $55,000 operating deficit that year, according to the most recent financial report available.
“No mention was made of the police issue,†said Ryan Brockschmitt, a resident who said he attends most board of aldermen meetings. “All we want is transparency.â€
But city leadership is staying tight-lipped about why it plans to work with St. John and whether it will issue a request for proposals for a longer-term police contract.
Mayor Bill Hook, who is stepping down at the end of his term this month, did not respond to requests for comment. Nor did Alderwoman Charlee McBride or police Chief Scott Ford.
Reached Thursday, Alderwoman Jan Nelson, who serves as the board’s point person on police department issues, said: “I don’t really have time, and I would not comment anyway,†before hanging up on a reporter.
City leaders’ silence follows a public statement released by Normandy’s police department on Monday where Chief Tameika Sanders said she told her officers to “begin directed patrols within Bel-Nor.†She said the patrols are meant to be “visible and effective, offering reassurance to the residents of Bel-Nor during this period of transition.†The department has a long history assisting Bel-Nor police on calls and sometimes is the only department to respond to calls in the neighborhood, the release said.
“Looking ahead, the Normandy Police Department eagerly anticipates the opportunity to publicly present what we have to offer and to articulate why we believe we are the most logical choice for police services in Bel-Nor, both geographically and historically,†Sanders said in her statement.
‘We surround it’
In an interview, Normandy Mayor Mark Beckmann said he knew Bel-Nor had struggled for several years to keep its police department staffed. Normandy’s police department, he said, has “had their back for a couple years†and responded to calls in Bel-Nor as backup.
“I don’t have any idea why they’re considering St. John,†Beckmann said. “To my knowledge, St. John has never been in Bel-Nor. We’re there all the time. So it was a little surprising to me.â€
Beckmann said Normandy has sent Hook, the Bel-Nor mayor, a policing contract offer to consider even though Bel-Nor isn’t soliciting offers. Normandy already polices Bellerive Acres, Bel-Ridge, Cool Valley and Pasadena Park. Two cities, Greendale and Pasadena Hills, ended their contracts with Normandy police two years ago.
“We drive through Bel-Nor all the time going to Bellerive Acres, going to Bel-Ridge,†Beckmann said. “We’re always driving through Bel-Nor. We surround it. To me, it would just be a logical fit. So like I said, there’s something else in play here that I don’t understand and am not privy to. I certainly would like the opportunity to at least make a presentation and talk to them about we could do for them.â€
Normandy has never gotten a police service contract where it didn’t have to respond to a request for proposals, Beckmann said. But he said he’s not sure Bel-Nor’s ordinances require that city to put out a request for proposals.
“I’ve never heard of something this big not going through that process,†Beckmann said. “It’s unusual.â€
St. John chief retires
St. John’s longtime police chief and city manager, meanwhile, just retired. Robert Connell announced several weeks ago he would retire, and his last day was April 5, St. John Mayor Tom Halaska and interim police Chief Paul Anderson said. There’s “no correlation,†Anderson said, between Connell’s retirement and Bel-Nor’s interest in working with St. John.
Halaska said he hadn’t been in communication with Bel-Nor about policing and referred questions to the police department. Anderson said St. John has had a “longstanding relationship with Bel-Nor,†but he isn’t sure whether Bel-Nor had contacted other municipalities about providing police services beyond the initial short-term agreement with St. John.
Maj. Ron Martin with the North County Police Cooperative, which provides police services to several area municipalities, said Bel-Nor had not contacted the agency about submitting a proposal for police services.
Dan Riley, another Bel-Nor resident, said he’d like to see a request for proposals for a longer-term police services contract so the public can weigh in on a suite of options.
“There should at least be an open discussion,†Riley said. “Closing the whole process and allowing this to remain an opaque operation does not allow anyone to feel safe or represented.â€