The Metropolitan Police Department, City of St. Louis (SLMPD) is the primary law enforcement agency responsible for serving the City of St. Louis in the U.S. state of Missouri. 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.[5] 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..
Departmental History
The Metropolitan Police Department, City of St. Louis was established in 1808, five years after St. Louis became part of the U.S. 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.
Organization
The Metropolitan Police Department is headed by a Commissioner of Police . Currently, the Commissioner of Police is John Hayden Jr. who replaced former Commissioner Sam Dotson in 2017.
The SLMPD’s organization consists of the Office of the Commissioner of Police and four bureaus. These include:
Office of the Police Commissioner
Bureau of Specialized Services
Bureau of Community Policing
Office of the Commissioner of Police
The Commissioner of Police 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.
