St. Louis Metropolitan Police DepartmentLocal authority

The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department is the primary municipal law enforcement agency responsible for public safety, crime prevention, and traffic enforcement within the City of St. Louis, Missouri. Established in 1808 with just four unpaid officers, it originally relied on a mandatory civilian night watch system. Notably, the department operated under state oversight via a governor-appointed board for over 150 years until voters returned it to local municipal control in 2013.