By Paul Hampel and Patrick M. O’Connell
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
CLAYTON, Mo. — St. Louis County Executive Charlie A. Dooley is seeking to oust county Police Chief Jerry Lee, according to several county officials.
One source, who asked to remain anonymous, said that Dooley was upset with Lee’s public disagreement last month with Dooley over police pay. Dooley has been seeking support for the ouster among members of the St. Louis County Council, said sources, who also asked for anonymity.
Dooley is also reshaping the Board of Police Commissioners, which hires and fires the police chief. One Police Board member said that Dooley told him last week that he and another board member - the only two not appointed by Dooley - would be removed.
Dooley’s spokesman, Mac Scott, declined to discuss the reports.
“Jerry is the chief and Charlie thinks the county force is the best in the area,” Scott said. “That’s really all we can say.”
Lee also declined to comment. “I am the chief and I have no plans to announce my retirement,” he said.
Lee, 60, has been chief since 2004 and has been with the department for 39 years. His salary is $121,369.
The disagreement over police pay became public in a Post-Dispatch story published last month. In it, Lee said that $1.3 million that Dooley wanted to add to the police budget to hire 14 officers as part of a Youth Violence Initiative would be better spent on raises for his officers.
“I’d give that money to my people,” Lee was quoted as saying. “I’ve expressed that opinion to administration.”
Dooley was irate over Lee’s comments, a source said.
Several sources also cited a personality conflict between Lee and Garry Earls, the county’s chief operating officer. And, sources said, Dooley was offended by criticism of him and his administration on a blog apparently written by county police officers.
Earls, speaking through the county spokesman, characterized his relationship with Lee as “cordial and professional.”
Lee declined to comment on his relationship with Earls.
Ultimately, Lee’s fate is in the hands of the five-member county Board of Police Commissioners: Jimmy L Brown, Sheila M. Hoffmeister, Gregory Sansone, Patrick A. Twardowski and Floyd C. Warmann.
All except Twardowski and Hoffmeister were appointed by Dooley, who became county executive in 2003 after the death of George R. “Buzz” Westfall. The board may remove the police chief by majority vote, after presenting reasons in writing and a public hearing.
Twardowski, the board’s chairman, said that Dooley called him Jan. 5 and told him that he and Hoffmeister were off the board.
Twardowski said Dooley indicated the reason was only that it was time for a change.
The terms of all five board members have expired, but they can remain in their positions until the county executive replaces them.
Twardowski said he was surprised by Dooley’s move. When asked if he believed it was related to Lee’s status, Twardowski said that could only be answered by “the ninth floor,” a reference to the county executive’s office in the county building.
Twardowski said he was not aware of any discussions among commissioners about making a change atop the police department or any dissatisfaction with Lee’s performance.
“We’ve all been pleased with the job he’s been doing,” Twardowski said.
The next Police Board meeting is scheduled for Feb. 11. Twardowski said he considered the December meeting his last as an active board member because Dooley’s phone call indicated he was no longer on the board.
“I just assumed it was a done deal,” he said.
Hoffmeister could not be reached for comment.
Warmann declined to comment, and Brown and Sansone could not be reached.
The county executive’s nominations to the Police Board need the approval of the seven-member County Council.
On Wednesday, council members Barbara Fraser, D-University City, and Mike O’Mara, D-Florissant, spoke positively about the chief.
“He has had a very good rapport with the council and I have not heard of anything that has made me think other than that he is a very dedicated, hard working officer,” Fraser said.
O’Mara said, “I’ve always gotten along well with the chief and, as far as I know, he’s done a good job.”
The county Police Department has about 1,000 employees, 750 of them uniformed officers. The county employs about 4,000 people overall.
Copyright 2009 St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Inc.