St. Louis Jail Plans 20% Staff Boost After Escape
Officials vow to fix alarm failures and end a policy requiring inmates to pay for medical complaints after a detainee fled earlier this month.
By Lucy Lefebvre ·
The city aims to increase jail staffing by 20% by the end of 2026, a figure Public Safety Director Shawn Dace presented to the Board of Aldermen. The target addresses a specific gap in security coverage that officials identified after a detainee escaped from the City Justice Center earlier this month. Dace told the Public Safety Committee that the department accepts responsibility for the incident, stating, "This is a failure on our part. We take responsibility."
The proposed changes focus on retraining officers and reviewing security procedures every 60 days. Staff will now document security checks at exit doors. The city also hired an outside security company to assess the facility. Investigators are currently examining why the alarm system failed during the escape. To improve oversight, surveillance monitoring will expand from 5 p.m. to 7 a.m., a period Dace described as the most challenging for staffing levels.
Alderman Rasheen Aldridge expressed skepticism after the initial briefing. He noted that the community requested the meeting because of unresolved concerns. "What we’ve seen today is that there were more questions out there than actual answers," Aldridge said. He highlighted a specific policy that requires inmates to pay to submit grievances on tablets. This cost barrier applies even when detainees report safety issues or request medical care.
Aldridge argued that the payment policy prevents individuals from reporting abuse. "They may not have money to say ‘hey, my life is in danger, I need medical care, a CO, correctional officer, abused me in some way’: sexually, physically, mentally, or whatever, that then they have to pay for.. We have to change that policy," he said. The hearing also raised questions about general conditions and the city's plan to reduce the detainee population.
The jail commissioner was absent from the session. Some aldermen wanted direct answers from the person overseeing daily operations. Aldridge said he was not fully relieved by the presentation but remained hopeful for more concrete solutions at the next meeting. "I would say I don’t feel too relieved from this hearing… I’m hopeful on the 12th that we get more answers, that we get some solutions…" he said.
A follow-up hearing is scheduled for November 12. The city expects the jail commissioner to attend that session.
Source: KMOV
