[Code 1975 §§4.05, 7.01(2); CC 1989 §18-6;
Ord. No. 1022 §1, 7-14-1986; Ord. No. 4613, 2-12-2024]
A. Generally. There shall be a Chief of Police who shall be
the head of the Police Department, whose appointment, term and duties
shall be as provided in this Section.
B. Office Established. There hereby is, and shall be established
the office of Chief of Police and the Chief shall be under the supervision
of the City Administrator; the Chief of Police shall control, supervise
and regulate the personnel, equipment and operation of the Police
Department in all aspects of Police protection and regulation within
the jurisdiction of the City subject to rules and regulations set
down by the Board of Aldermen by ordinance.
C. Appointment And Term. The Chief of Police shall be appointed
by the Mayor with the approval of the Board of Aldermen and he/she
shall hold his/her office subject to removal by the Mayor with the
approval of the Board of Aldermen. The Chief of Police shall perform
all duties of the Marshal as required by law.
D. Duties. It shall be the duty of the Chief of Police to execute
all orders and processes arising out of the provisions of this Code
or ordinances of the City. He/she shall be a conservator of the peace
and active and vigilant in the preservation of good order within the
City. He/she shall also perform such other duties as the Board of
Aldermen may, from time to time, require by ordinance or resolution.
The Chief of Police shall at all times have power to make or order
all arrests, with proper process, for any offenses against the laws
of the City, or the State, by day or by night, and bring the offender
to trial before the proper court; and he/she shall have the power
to arrest, in accordance with applicable law, without process in all
cases where he/she has reasonable grounds to believe a person has
violated any law of this State, including a misdemeanor or infraction,
or has violated any ordinance over which he/she has jurisdiction,
and to keep the offender in the City Jail or other proper place to
prevent his/her escape until a trial can be had before the proper
officer, unless such offender shall give a good and sufficient bond
for his/her appearance for trial; and he/she shall serve and execute
the warrants, subpoenas, writs, and other process lawfully placed
with him/her for service.
E. Acting Chief — Assistant Acting Chief. The Chief of
Police shall designate, in writing, a member of the Police Department
to be Acting Chief of Police who shall exercise all of the authority
of the officer of the Chief of Police when the Chief of Police is
absent from his/her post for any reason. The Acting Chief of Police
shall have the authority to appoint an Assistant Acting Chief of Police
in his/her absence; the function of the Acting Chief of Police or
Assistant Acting Chief of Police shall cease when the Chief of Police
is on duty. The City Administrator may designate an Acting Chief of
Police or Assistant Acting Chief of Police at any time, and the City
Administrator may suspend a Chief of Police, Acting Chief of Police,
or Assistant Acting Chief of Police by notice forthwith.
F. Qualifications. The Chief of Police shall have a baccalaureate
degree in Police science, Police administration, criminal justice,
or related field, or the equivalent in training and education; Police
service of eight (8) years with at least three (3) years being at
a supervisory or command level; and proven leadership in staff development
experience. The Chief of Police must comply with State training requirements
for Police Officers, shall not have been convicted of a felony, and
shall meet such other physical, mental, and educational requirements
as shall be set by the Board of Aldermen, in conjunction with the
City Administrator..
[Code 1975 §7.01(1); CC 1989 §18-1; Ord. No. 1022
§1, 7-14-1986; Ord. No. 4613, 2-12-2024]
There hereby is, and shall be established a Police Department
of the City. The Police Department shall consist of a Police Chief,
and all personnel, and Police equipment. The Police Department, through
its Chief, and personnel shall be responsible for, and shall undertake
the enforcement of all City ordinances, and shall offer the public
within the jurisdiction of the City, safety to life, limb, and property,
and protection from law violations and hazards. The Department shall
be the protector of the public peace. In addition, the Department,
through its Chief and the personnel shall perform such duties as may
be assigned by the City Administrator. The Board of Aldermen may assign
other functions to the Police Department by ordinance or resolution.
[Code 1975, §7.01(3); CC 1989 §18-2; Ord. No. 1022
§1, 7-14-1986; Ord. No. 4613, 2-12-2024]
A. Qualifications Of Police Officers. A Police Officer shall
be at least twenty-one (21) years of age, a citizen of the United
States and a resident of the State, reside in an area which is within
sixty (60) minutes normal travel time to this City's then current
Police Station within a period of one (1) year from the officer's
date of appointment, shall not have been convicted of a felony, and
shall meet such physical, mental, and educational requirements as
shall be set out by the Board of Aldermen and the Chief of Police
in the rules and regulations of the Police Department. The state residency
requirement may be waived by the Chief of Police with consent of the
City Administrator if all other tenets of this Section are met; however,
no waiver shall apply to any standard and/or qualification required
by the State of Missouri, any regulatory bodies therein, and/or the
City of Town and Country. Should residency be waived for any person,
they shall not be provided any additional compensation, renumeration,
reimbursement or other measures to mitigate any losses caused, or
resulting from, not satisfying the residency requirement.
B. Powers And Duties Of Police Officers. Police Officers shall
at all times have power to make or order all arrests, with proper
process, for any offenses against the laws of the City, or of the
State, by day or by night, and bring the offender to trial before
the proper court; and they shall have the power to arrest without
process in all cases where they have reasonable grounds to believe
the person has violated any law of this State including a misdemeanor
or infraction, or has violated any ordinance over which they have
jurisdiction, and to keep the offender in the City Jail or other proper
place to prevent the offender's escape until a trial can be had before
the proper officer, unless such offender shall give a good and sufficient
bond for the offender's appearance for trial. Police Officers shall
serve and execute the warrants, subpoenas, writs, and other process
lawfully placed with them for service. Police Officers shall have
other such duties as shall be assigned to them by their respective
supervisors.
C. Other Employees. Other employees of the Police Department
shall have such titles as are assigned to them by the Chief of Police
if they are not qualified Police Officers and shall have such duties
as shall be assigned to them by their respective supervisors.
D. Term Of Employment.
1. Term of employment of Police Officers. Police Officers
shall serve at least a one (1) year probationary period. If a Police
Officer fails to successfully complete the probationary period, he/she
may continue for an additional probationary period of six (6) months
or be removed from duty and discharged upon notice given by the Chief
of Police.
2. Termination of Police Department personnel. A Police
Officer or other employee of the Police Department may be removed,
discharged, suspended, or relieved from duty by his/her department
head or suspended by his/her immediate supervisor at any time with
approval from the Chief of Police.
3. Right of appeal. In compliance with Missouri Law
Enforcement Officers' Bill of Rights, a Police Officer who is suspended
without pay, demoted, terminated, transferred, or placed on a status
resulting in economic loss is entitled to a full due process hearing.
Aggrieved personnel may utilize the processes outlined within the
Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) of the Department to file a grievance.
The established chain of command should be maintained to the maximum
extent possible; however, if the grievance concerns the Chief of Police
and the command staff, such grievance may be brought directly to the
City Administrator.
4. Oath of a Police Officer. Upon the appointment of
each Police Officer, the Police Officer shall declare the following
oath in the presence of the Chief of Police, and shall sign a written
copy and deliver the same to the Chief of Police: "I do solemnly swear
that I possess all of the qualifications prescribed by law for a Police
Officer; that I shall uphold the Constitution of the United States
and the State of Missouri; laws of the United States and the State
of Missouri, and the ordinances of the City of Town and Country; and
that I shall faithfully demean myself in office."
[Code 1975, §7.01(4); CC 1989 §18-3; Ord. No. 1022
§1, 7-14-1986; Ord. No. 4613, 2-12-2024]
A. The
Police Chief, with the approval of the City Administrator, may establish
and may publish rules and regulations for the personnel and the operation
of the Police Department as he/she shall deem necessary. The rules
and regulations may apply to Police Officers and other employees of
the Police Department, employee qualifications, time for working,
uniforms, official conduct, personal conduct, equipment, discipline,
training, records, reports, public relations, and any and all other
matters related to the duties of the members and employees of the
Police Department pertaining to the preservation of peace and the
functions of the Police Department.
B. The
Police Chief may not change any rule or regulation approved by the
Board of Aldermen without the approval by a majority of that Board.
Nor shall any rule or regulation enacted by the Police Chief be incongruent
with or supersede any of the policies established on a City-wide basis
by the City Administrator, legislative action, or the Municipal Code.
[Code 1975 §7.01(5); CC 1989 §18-4; Ord. No. 1022
§1, 7-14-1986; Ord. No. 4613, 2-12-2024]
The Board of Aldermen shall fix and determine by ordinance the
compensation of the Police Chief, personnel, and employees of the
Police Department.
[Code 1975 §7.01(6); CC 1989 §18-5; Ord. No. 1022
§1, 7-14-1986; Ord. No. 4613, 2-12-2024]
A. The
Board of Aldermen shall receive from the Police Chief each year, in
March, a record of the performance and activity of the Police Department
in the year immediately preceding.
B. The
Police Chief shall maintain a personnel file of the members and employees
of the Police Department, and shall record therein such information
as is required from time to time in conjunction with City and Police
Department policies, as well as State/Federal regulations.
[CC 1989 §18-7; Ord. No. 1426 §1, 8-27-1990]
A. Defined — Purpose. For the purpose of this Section,
the "Major Case Squad" shall mean any formation,
operation, organization, or cooperative action between any County
Governing Body, any municipal government and the City, the purpose
of which is intensive professional investigation of certain individual
crimes that may occur in their general geographical area, and which
is operated and activated on request of a County Sheriff, County Police
Superintendent, or the Police Chief of a political subdivision wherein
a crime has occurred.
B. Organization. The officers of the Police Department are
authorized to participate in and cooperate with any Law Enforcement
Officers of jurisdictions in any Major Case Squad operation or formation.
The officers designated to act as the Major Case Squad operation will
be so designated by the Chiefs of Police and, when acting outside
of the City as a member of the Major Case Squad operation, shall be
considered to be on active duty the same as if acting within the boundaries
of the City.
[CC 1989 §18-8; Ord. No. 1427 §1, 8-27-1990]
A. Definitions. For the purpose of this Section, the following
words and phrases have the meanings described below:
EMERGENCY SITUATION
An occasion in which the Police Officer has a reasonable
belief that a crime is about to be committed, is being committed,
or has been committed, involving injury or threat of injury to any
person, property, or governmental interest and his/her response is
reasonably necessary to prevent or end such emergency situation or
mitigate the likelihood of injury involved in such emergency situation.
The determination of the existence of any emergency situation shall
be in the discretion of the Police Officer making the response or
in the discretion of an officer or governmental officer of the political
subdivision in which the emergency situation is alleged to be occurring.
POLICE OFFICER
Any Police Officer of the City who meets the qualifications established by Section
200.030(A) of this Code.
RESPONSE
As used in this Section, to take any and all action that
the Police Officer may lawfully take as if exercising his/her powers
within the City as defined by this Chapter.
B. Authority. A City Police Officer shall have the authority,
in accordance with departmental procedures, to respond to an emergency
situation outside the boundaries of the City.
C. Continuation Of Emergency Response. Response to an emergency
situation may continue until the emergency situation has been adequately
brought under control, in the discretion of the Police Officer, by
another appropriate jurisdiction.
D. Inadequate Police Protection Not Permitted. Police Officers
shall not leave the City's inhabitants with inadequate Police protection
or be absent for extended periods of time, but the response shall
be in aid of, and to assist, the authorities of the County or the
municipality in which the emergency situation is located.
E. Reports Of Emergency Response Outside City. Every response
to an emergency situation outside the City shall be reported by the
Police Officer(s) to the Chief of Police. A copy of this notification
shall be kept on permanent file by the City.