St. Louis Justice Center: Staffing and Security Overhaul Announced

Shawn Dace, the Director of Public Safety for St. Louis, addressed the Board of Aldermen’s Public Safety Committee on October 30 to outline immediate changes at the City Justice Center. The briefing came in response to a detainee who escaped the facility earlier in the month. Dace told the committee, “This is a failure on our part. We take responsibility.”

The city plans to implement a series of operational adjustments to prevent future incidents. Officers will undergo retraining, and security procedures will be reviewed every 60 days. Staff are now required to document security checks at exit doors. The city has also hired an outside security firm to assess the facility and is investigating why the alarm system failed during the escape.

A major focus of the new plan is increasing surveillance coverage during overnight hours. Monitoring will expand to cover the period from 5 p.m. to 7 a.m., a window Dace identified as the most challenging for staffing. To address this gap, the city aims to add 20% more staff by the end of the year.

Alderman Rasheen Aldridge expressed skepticism about the completeness of the department's response. He noted that the community requested the meeting and felt the department provided more questions than answers. Aldridge specifically called out a policy requiring detainees to pay a fee to submit grievances on tablets. This fee applies even when inmates are reporting safety issues or requesting medical care.

“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,” Aldridge said. He urged the city to waive the cost for complaints involving safety or health concerns.

The jail commissioner did not attend the October 30 hearing, leaving some aldermen seeking direct answers from the person overseeing daily operations. Aldridge stated he did not feel relieved by the initial briefing but remained hopeful that further clarity would emerge. A follow-up hearing is scheduled for November 12, where the commissioner is expected to appear.