St. Louis Co. Reprimands MetroLink Officers After Investigation

FLORISSANT, MO — St. Louis County Police Department has issued written reprimands to almost a dozen officers assigned to patrol the Metro, citing an internal investigation that found those officers covered surveillance cameras to hide the fact they were leaving their posts or sleeping on the job. The investigation began in response to a series of articles from St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter Tony Messenger that raised questions about the misconduct.

St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar said in a statement that St. Louis County police officers should be held to a higher standard and that his department had never shied away from appropriate discipline.

But some critics, including County Council Chairperson Sam Page, have continued to call for an outside investigation. Several allegations did not result in reprimands, police said, because of lack of evidence. The officers were not identified per department policy.

Image via Metropolitan St. Louis Transit Agency.