Last week the Post-Dispatch reported that a phone call from a police commissioner kept his nephew from being booked for drunken driving, and instead brought the allegedly drunken nephew to the police commissioner's restaurant.
Since that story hit, anybody on the cop or political beat has been trying to squeeze more juice - or blood - out of it. I am no different.
I have a few things I am working on, but here is one document that is good to have in the public domain: the Oath of Office sworn and signed by Police Commissioner Vincent J. Bommarito.
Mostly, it refers to the U.S. and Missouri Constitutions, where the relevant language pertaining to misuse of authority to interfere with law enforcement will need to be found.
It also refers to Missouri Revised Statutes 84.04, which explicitly forbids police commissioners from using "political opinions" as a basis in making appointments to the police force or meting out punishments.
The statute says police commissioners "will in no case and under no pretext appoint or remove any policeman or officer of police, or other person under them, on account of the political opinions of such police officer or other person, or for any other cause or reason than the fitness or unfitness of such a person, in the best judgment of such commissioners, for the place for which he shall be appointed, or from the place from which he shall be removed."
That is good stuff.
While searching for the link to the Post story, I just saw that Uncle Bommarito resigned from the board. That leaves a board of five down to two. Local control by attrition?
PDF
Oath of Office sworn and signed by Police Commissioner Vincent J. Bommarito
That is good stuff.
While searching for the link to the Post story, I just saw that Uncle Bommarito resigned from the board. That leaves a board of five down to two. Local control by attrition?
Oath of Office sworn and signed by Police Commissioner Vincent J. Bommarito
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