urbanSTL

BEL-NOR — Some residents in this tight-knit community of 1,400 people are questioning why city leaders are staying silent after their surprise announcement that the police department is disbanding at the end of the month and Bel-Nor would begin working with St. John police.
Neighboring officials in Normandy, meanwhile, say they’re confused as to why Bel-Nor isn’t giving them a chance to pitch their police department as a replacement in Bel-Nor, known for its well-maintained homes and tree-lined streets alongside the University of Missouri-St. Louis campus.
Bel-Nor is the latest small north St. Louis County municipality to disband its police department and another example of the political maneuvering that ensues in fragmented St. Louis County when police contracts and their associated revenue are up for grabs. Last month, Velda City’s department shut down after an agreement to contract services to Hillsdale was narrowly defeated on a 3-2 vote at the board of aldermen. Velda City ended up approving a police contract with Pagedale earlier this month, city attorney Anthony Gray said. Bel-Nor’s decision to dissolve its police department blindsided many residents, who point out the announcement was released after a contested aldermanic election and late on a Friday — a tactic sometimes used to minimize news coverage as people disengage for the weekend.
On April 5, Bel-Nor released a statement saying its board of aldermen had “made the difficult decision to discontinue having its own Police Department,” citing the rising costs of insurance, vehicles and wages. The board had met three days earlier, April 2, and gone into closed session. Minutes on any vote that was taken in closed session weren’t immediately available.

Bel-Nor said its police department will close April 25 and the city planned to have St. John’s police department respond to calls “until permanent arrangements can be made.”

“The process of finding a good match for our residents to feel comfortable with began immediately upon receiving notice that some of our officers had been offered positions at other agencies and intended to tender their resignations,” the Bel-Nor statement said.

Two councilwomen say the actions of a colleague, who called them a slur during a public meeting, are part of a larger cultural problem among city leaders. 
Warren "Butch" Taylor, a longtime councilman, was overheard last week using the word "b****" to identify the women while he Zoomed into a council meeting from his home.
Late Sunday, the city of Hazelwood issued a statement attributed to Taylor that apologized for his "derogatory remarks." Taylor did not respond to a request for comment Monday.
But the councilwomen, Jen Hatton and Kelly Wadlow, have criticized the city's response and say it's the latest example of mistreatment since they were elected a year ago.

"There are a few seasoned councilmen who have done nothing but name-called and harassed us since we took office and they just finally got caught, publicly," Hatton said in an interview. The incident happened during Hazelwood's council meeting last Wednesday night. About 10 minutes in, the council started honoring a retiring police officer. Taylor, who patched into the meeting via Zoom, appeared to be talking to a woman, unaware his microphone was still on.