ST. LOUIS — A plan to force the embattled city sheriff to transport all city jail inmates to the hospital when they need it stalled Thursday at the Board of Aldermen, marking another standoff in a debate that now spans City Hall, the courts, and the state attorney general’s office.
Sheriff Alfred Montgomery’s office has passed on dozens of medical transport requests since taking office in January, breaking with decades of precedent and forcing city jail staff to fill the gap. Top officials — including Mayor Cara Spencer — have criticized the move as a failure to perform basic duties. And Attorney General Andrew Bailey has cited the issue in a lawsuit seeking Montgomery’s ouster, along with allegations of nepotism, false arrests, and excessive spending.
But Montgomery and his aides have denied any wrongdoing. They say the transports are not really their job, but rather the responsibility of the city corrections division, which runs most other jail operations. They also say the city needs to give them more money and staff if the city wants the sheriff’s office to continue with the task.
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The bill, sponsored by Alderman Matt Devoti, aimed to make the sheriff’s obligation explicit, citing a state law requiring sheriffs to receive “all persons” apprehended by police and ordered into jail.
But in a committee hearing Thursday, Alderman Rasheen Aldridge, of downtown, said he thought it would be unwise to try to dictate the sheriff’s responsibilities while Montgomery and Bailey are arguing about them in court.
“I don’t want us to rush it and get it wrong,” Aldridge said.
He also raised concerns about a proposed amendment to Devoti’s bill that would require the sheriff to justify each of his office’s expenditures, in writing, to the city comptroller. The city, he said, shouldn’t be making special rules for one office.
Alderwoman Alisha Sonnier, of Tower Grove East, also had concerns. She said she worried about Montgomery’s complaints about staffing, and urged consideration of his requests for a bigger budget.
“I think that conversation needs to happen,” she said.
Devoti pushed back, saying that when he asked Montgomery how many more deputies he needed to fulfill transport requests at an earlier hearing, Montgomery couldn’t give him a number.
He argued the city shouldn’t wait until an inmate is hurt before taking action.
Still, after more than an hour of back and forth, Devoti asked to postpone a vote to send the bill to the full board for further consideration. Aldermen are not scheduled to meet for the next eight weeks during their summer recess.
After the hearing, Devoti vented. ӣƵ politicians, he said, like to complain when state officials interfere with local government, as Aldridge and Sonnier have about Bailey’s suit. But then, Devoti said, they don’t do anything to prevent interference.
“Today we had an opportunity to take care of our own business,” he said, “and we didn’t.”
Alderman Tom Oldenburg, a supporter of the bill, said opponents were defending a political ally — Aldridge and Sonnier endorsed Montgomery’s campaign last year — instead of enacting good policy.
Aldridge brushed off the criticism: “The bill just raised a lot more questions than answers.”
After referencing a Post-Dispatch article about the sheriff's recent controversies, Alderman Michael Browning questions Sheriff Alfred Montgomery on budget requests. Video courtesy of the City of ӣƵ, edited by Jenna Jones.
