Doesn't sound like Stenger is interested in discussing City-County merger or reunification.... (St. Louis: high crime, credit rating)

[MUTGR]

Ferguson eclipses discussion of St. Louis city-county merger : News

...instead suggests focus should be on consolidating some of the north county municipalities.

[FrankMiller]

City-county merger is probably more important regionally, but merging NoCo municipalities is probably more relevant to the Ferguson issues.

[Caesarstl]

^ I support both.

[STLCityMike]

And spend the $$ saved by eliminating duplicate jobs by investing in the police force. Maybe get them off the I-70 speed traps and better patrol violent crime. End rant

[FrankMiller]

I can only imagine the wonder that would be a unified STL Metro PD, as opposed to 60 departments and the associated fly-by-night shenanigans. Not that such has been proposed by anyone.

[MUTGR]

Originally Posted by FrankMiller

I can only imagine the wonder that would be a unified STL Metro PD, as opposed to 60 departments and the associated fly-by-night shenanigans. Not that such has been proposed by anyone.

I really question if that would improve or worsen policing.

You have some very professional, well-trained and well-paid police departments in St. Louis County (Kirkwood, Webster, Clayton, etc.).

Is your response time going to improve in these areas if you have some massive single police department over the whole area? Are officers really going to get to know the areas in which they serve with a single department? I doubt it.

[Chicago76]

Originally Posted by MUTGR

I really question if that would improve or worsen policing.

You have some very professional, well-trained and well-paid police departments in St. Louis County (Kirkwood, Webster, Clayton, etc.).

Is your response time going to improve in these areas if you have some massive single police department over the whole area? Are officers really going to get to know the areas in which they serve with a single department? I doubt it.

There are ways to allocate services, take the cost savings, and toss that into high crime areas if done carefully. You could combine similar caliber pds and precinct them at their current boundaries to get the same service and community feel. Toss the cost savings on the admin side to communities that need it. The more troubled communities could consolidate too. Then you've got two cost savings streams they can work with to beef up or start using other methods like different social support services.

The big issue aren't the Kirkwood and Webster sized munis. It's the really small ones like the Vinitas of the area.

[SouthCitySam]

The city asking to merge with the county is like the deadbeat unemployed gambling addicted pothead brother-in-law asking to merge his family finances with yours.

[Caesarstl]

^There seems to always be a big push by some to paint the situation in the city as bad as possible... Screams of the bankrupt city (which last time I checked still had a balanced budget and credit rating...) wanting the perfect county to pay for all of its problems... The city does have a lot of problems, but sheesh hasn't anyone noticed that the county is a bit of a time bomb?

[Dawn10am]

It wouldn't surprise me if the City were reconsidering its bid to re-enter the County. I think a lot of people are starting to see the writing on the wall for St. Louis County and the City may not be so keen to jump aboard that sinking ship anymore.