iolence prevention. Nearly $8.5 million will address dangerous and derelict buildings.

Police board says recruiting is key measure

Chris Saracino, president of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department Board, said safety and security for residents across St. Louis is a top priority.

 Safety and security of the residents of the city of St. Louis in all communities is a number one priority,  Saracino said.  There's never a place, time, that I don't go with Chief Tracy to meetings or go to my own neighborhood meetings and people aren't asking for more officers on the street. And we need to deliver that to them. 

Asked whether the board was risking the city's future to win the funding dispute, Saracino said,  I do not believe so. 

Saracino said the board's biggest measure of success is recruiting. He pointed to a May hiring event that attracted more than 125 candidates, with about 80 still moving through the process as of late June.

Chief points to pay and retention

Chief Robert Tracy said improving wages would be the top change he would make to help recruitment and retention.

 Making our wages competitive for the rank and file, including all the way up to lieutenant colonel,  Tracy said.

Tracy said officers and sergeants recently received a 7% raise. He said raises for 66 command staff members totaled a little more than $1 million and were within the department's budget provided by the city.

 We were within our own budget, so we're not understanding why that would affect the rest of the city,  Tracy said.  If you give us a budget to use to improve our department and recruit and retention, that's what this board did.