ST. LOUIS– The public will have the chance Tuesday night to meet the three finalists to be the next chief of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department.

The department has been led on an interim basis by Lt. Col. Michael Sack since June, when former Chief John Hayden’s retirement took effect. Hayden had planned to retire in February, but stayed on. 

The search is the second search since Hayden’s announcement in late 2021. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported earlier this year that Mayor Tishaura Jones wanted to “start the process over”  because of the way the city’s former personnel director winnowed the field.

A city spokesman said the names of the finalists won’t be revealed until Tuesday’s Town Hall at Vashon High School (3035 Cass Avenue) from 6pm-8pm. Jones and City Public Safety Director Dr. Dan Isom will also be at the meeting. 

The public is invited to fill out a form to ask questions and identify community concerns ahead of the meeting.

Whoever is hired will lead a department that has been re-shaped since Jones took office in the spring of 2021, with a focus on committing resources to address root causes of crime, putting mental health workers out in the field with officers, and working to divert calls that may not require a police response.

Civilian oversight of the department is also in flux. A Board Bill signed by Jones in September to establish a  Division of Civilian Oversight to assume internal police investigations involving alleged misconduct and use of force has been put on hold after police unions filed suit and won an injunction in court.