MO SB1657

Board of police commissioners gains authority to set annual salaries for police force members without prior General Assembly authorization, with salaries not falling below current levels

City must appropriate minimum percentages of general revenue for police funding: 22% through 2025, increasing annually to 25% by January 1, 2028, with litigation costs, settlements, judgments, and pension costs excluded from this calculation

Governor-appointed transition director will oversee transfer of any municipal police force in a city not within a county to the board of police commissioners, with implementation deadline extended from July 1, 2026 to July 1, 2027

Liability for claims, lawsuits, settlements, and litigation costs remains with the city rather than the state legal expense fund, though the state will reimburse boards up to a collective maximum of $2 million per fiscal year for eligible liability claims

All commissioned and civilian personnel from transferred municipal police departments must be hired without reduction in rank, salary, or benefits, with recognition of accrued service years