Civil Service Commission votes for officers to have same discipline process as other city employees

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    ST. LOUIS (KMOV) — St. Louis police officers will now face the same disciplinary process as other city employees.

During a Tuesday vote, the St. Louis Civil Service Commission voted in support of repealing a measure that allowed police officers different rules for discipline. Civil Service Rule XIX, which was repealed, gave officers facing a punishment of less than a 15-day suspension to appeal the matter to a “summary hearing board,” which was made up of three uniformed officers.

The repeal means police disciplinary hearings will now be decided by the commission, which is comprised of three civilians appointed by the mayor. The St. Louis Civil Service Commission already handles appeals for officers facing longer suspension, firing or demotions. They also handle appeals for all other city employees.

“Under Civil Service Rule XIX, police officers were held to different disciplinary standards than other civil service workers,” Mayor Tishaura Jones wrote on social media following the vote. “Tonight, the Civil Service Commission voted to eliminate that rule, now holding all employees equally accountable. We were long overdue for this change.”

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