ST. LOUIS – The St. Louis Board of Aldermen meets for the last time Thursday morning until mid-September, and two attention-grabbing bills are up for final passage.
The board will meet at 10:00 a.m. One of the bills addresses the open carrying of guns in the city. The other details what police must do during some interactions with citizens.
Board of aldermen members passed the final wording on both bills at their meeting last week. Alderwoman Cara Spencer is sponsoring board Bill 29. It would ban people from openly carrying or displaying guns in the city without having a concealed-carry permit.
The legislation comes after recent situations where young people were seen openly carrying firearms downtown during events like parties.
Spencer argues the bill would help get guns off the streets and would also disarm minors because most people have to be 19 years old to get a concealed carry permit in Missouri.
Stop and Frisk concerns about board Bill 29 were raised by aldermanic members including Rasheen Aldridge. That led Aldridge to craft board Bill 82, which is also up for a final vote Thursday. That legislation would require police officers to offer business cards to people who consent to searches if the interactions don’t lead to an arrest or a summons being issued.
The business cards would have to include the officer’s name, rank, badge number, and ways to contact the city’s civilian oversight board. Aldridge hopes his legislation will help build better trust between residents and police.
After Thursday, the next board of aldermen meeting is September 15.