314 Podcast: Christine Byers on SLMPD’s Return to State Control

In this episode of The 314 Podcast, host Sarah Fenske talks with Christine Byers about the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department’s move back to state control. Byers, who covered the department for 14 years for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and KSDK, discusses why state control offered advantages for transparency, the potential pitfalls of the board answering to the current governor, and what to look for during the transition. Then, Sarah chats with SLM staff writer Ryan Krull about what he learned about the St. Louis rectory where Pope Leo XIV once lived. Listen and follow The 314 Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever podcasts are available.

SF: Did you get the sense [the state board was] genuinely interested in good policing for the city, or were they looking out for their own interests?

CB: I think that they were always pushing the agenda of the governor that appointed them. So it was interesting to watch the different dynamics too, of appointees that were left over from the previous administration and that sort of thing.

This episode is sponsored by Saint Louis Art Museum and supported by Missouri History Museum. Make a real impact in your community and boost your business by becoming a corporate partner of the Saint Louis Art Museum! Through the Corporate Partner Program, you’ll support free year-round programs and help bring over 125,000 people closer to the arts—and to each other. Learn more at slam.org.

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About The Hosts

Sarah Fenske

Sarah Fenske is St. Louis Magazine‘s executive editor. She manages news and business coverage and edits The Daily newsletter. She’s been a reporter, columnist, newspaper editor, and radio host, and she is currently host of the monthly Legal Roundtable on St. Louis Public Radio and a panelist on Nine PBS’ Donnybrook. She lives in the city, where she attempts to juggle herding her kids to sports practice and swapping political gossip over a good martini.

Ryan Krull

Ryan Krull is a staff writer at St. Louis Magazine, writing for the The Daily newsletter. A graduate of the University of Missouri-St. Louis, he taught there for many years before joining the staff of the Riverfront Times, where he was a reporter for the last years of the paper’s life. He lives near Tower Grove Park in the city with his wife and son.