Missouri Governor Kehoe Asks Attorney General to Investigate St. Louis Police Board’s Closed-Door Contract Renewal
On October 23, 2026, Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe wrote to state Attorney General Catherine Hanaway asking for a full investigation of the St. Louis Board of Police Commissioners, to determine whether meetings the board held around October 17 violated the open-meetings provisions of Missouri's Sunshine Law.
The controversy stems from the board's recent fast-tracked, closed-door process to renew Police Chief Tracy's contract, which Kehoe said raises serious concerns. In his statement, Kehoe said he still supports the authority of the citizen-led St. Louis police board, but that the closed process of rushing the chief's renewal is troubling, and that the state's chief law-enforcement officer should investigate and, if necessary, take enforcement action to ensure full compliance with open-meetings requirements.
Missouri's Sunshine Law provides that meetings, records, votes, actions and deliberations of public bodies are to be open unless otherwise provided by law, in order to safeguard public trust. Kehoe added that as a governor born and raised in St. Louis and from a police family, he cares deeply about the front-line officers and civilian employees of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, and that city residents and all Missourians deserve clear answers, full transparency and accountability. The Attorney General's Office has not yet announced any findings.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：圣路易斯拱门。图片来源：Wikimedia Commons（自由授权）。 / Photo: Gateway Arch, St. Louis, via Wikimedia Commons (free license).
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