She also said it would be worse for those residents living in high-crime areas who depend on the police to be there. We do not yet know what unprecedented challenges the current state of emergency will present nor for how long it will present them.”, He added, “The chairman of the Police Board that selected her assures me that the Board and the new Chief will work closely with county government.”. In a statement, Joe Patterson, executive director of the St. Louis County Police Association, called Barton’s appointment “historic.”, “Women represent the fastest growing demographic of law enforcement officers and Lt. Col. Barton’s appointment is a beacon of light for those officers.”. One prominent question asked stemmed from protesters’ calls to defund the police. The police board had invited five lieutenant colonels and 18 captains to apply. – The St. Louis County Council asked questions Tuesday to county police departments in a virtual meeting that lasted more than one hour. The council also asked if greater efforts are being made to recruit African Americans to the force. St. Louis County Police Chief Mary Barton talks to members of the St. Louis County Council on Tuesday, June 9, 2020, via Cisco Webex. I’m very interested in knowing how the police commissioners came about making this decision.”. She had a breadth of experience in the field, and rose through the ranks as a woman. We offer daily headlines, breaking news, severe weather, and forecast emails. (Screenshot) Jeremy Kohler Barton’s appointment marks a year in which the police department has seen a sharp rise in leadership assumed by people who are not men. There was a problem saving your notification. St. Louis County Police Department 7900 Forsyth Blvd. The St. Louis County Police Department announced that Barton, captain of the 7th Precinct in West St. Louis County, will take the helm after Chief Jon Belmar retires. The council peppered her with questions on what will be done to improve police-community relations, and what the procedure is for dealing with handcuffed suspects. St. Louis County police board picks Capt. Punch said she identifies as genderqueer, a term for people who do not believe their gender conforms with socially constructed norms associated with their biological sex. St. Louis County police commander alleges he didn’t get top job because of racial discrimination, Full access to STLtoday.com and the award-winning journalism, Faster-loading pages with no more surveys. Barton also served over 25 years in the Greater St. Louis Area Major Case Squad as an investigator, supervisor, deputy commander and chief report officer. - A former youth pastor was charged with seven felonies following accusations he sexually abused a child in Missouri. She’s a member of the International Homicide Investigator’s Association, and has been a member of the Public Safety Advisory Board to the Special School District for more than 30 years.