Senate Bill No. 23 Summary

• Allows any city not within a county to establish and maintain its own municipal police force independent of the state-controlled board of police commissioners.

• City establishing a municipal police force must immediately employ all existing police officers at current salaries and provide accrued benefits including vacation, sick leave, health insurance, life insurance, and pensions.

• Creates criminal penalties (class D felony) for police officers who knowingly solicit illegal firearm transfers or provide materially false information to deceive firearms dealers about transaction legality.

• Restricts police officers from lobbying before the state legislature in official capacity, testifying on official letterhead, or wearing uniforms while representing police force policy positions.

• Becomes effective upon St. Louis charter amendment reducing the Board of Aldermen to 14 members with at least two representatives from each ward.