York Promised To Fire Chief Swope, Major Boerding, Captain Pollard & Chief’s Secretary If She Is Re-elected
By Tony Brockmeyer
The First Capitol News has learned that at a recent meeting of the board of directors of the St. Charles Police Officers Association, Mayor York promised the association she would fire Police Chief Tim Swope if she is re-elected to a third term. York will face Councilman John Gieseke in the general election on Tuesday, April 3.
Swope, the former elected St. Charles County Sheriff, took over as St. Charles Police Chief on March 14, 2005. He was appointed after the position had been open for over a year because the Mayor, City Administrator and City Council could not agree on a chief. Although the appointment was to be made by the City Administrator, York had made several attempts to have people appointed as chief who had close ties to the Fraternal Order of Police. When those efforts failed, she then wanted her son’s commander (her son is a St. Louis police officer) appointed. She tried to appoint a former chief of Peoria, Illinois who had come under heavy fire because of his actions in that city. York also refused to accept any appointees made by the City Administrator including that of Major Robert G. Lowery, Jr. who was the head of the Greater St. Louis Major Case Squad.
York has close ties to Tommy Mayer, the former president of the FOP. Mayer, a former St. Charles Police Sergeant, was fired by Swope shortly after Mayer ordered the St. Charles City Administrator from his car, at gun point, on the parking lot of police headquarters.
Mayer filed a $100 million law suit against the City for remarks Councilman Hoepfner had made; and because the City had taken away his drive-home police vehicle which he took home to St. Louis County. He was also upset because the new city council had refused to allow him to perform FOP duties while he was on duty as a St. Charles Police Officer. After Mayer was fired and still had the lawsuit pending, York wrote a letter to St. Louis Police Chief Joe Mokwa lavishing praise on Mayer and telling Mokwa she felt Tommy Mayer would be successful in his lawsuit against the City of St. Charles. The lawsuit was later settled for a little over $50,000.
It is believed that, if re-elected, Mayor York intends to bring Tommy Mayer back to the St. Charles Police Department after she fires Chief Swope.
The First Capitol News contacted Chief Swope regarding the pledge to fire him that York had made to the police association. Chief Swope confirmed that he had heard the Mayor had made the statement that she would fire Swope, Major Bob Boerding the assistant Chief, Captain Gary Pollard and the Chief’s secretary. Swope said he was disappointed and refused to comment further because of this being a personnel matter. Swope is under contract with the City and if fired the city would have to buy out his contract. It is unknown if the others the association wants fired are under contract.
Sources at police headquarters have told the First Capitol News that Chief Swope is extremely frustrated that the Mayor would attempt to undermine his authority to manage the police department and that she would make those promises to the police association. They also told us that by the Mayor making that promise, it has made it extremely difficult for Swope to keep control of the police department putting the safety of the residents in jeopardy.
Tim Swope has three children. Swope is a 1984 graduate of St. Charles High School and attended college at Central Missouri State University – Warrensburg on a baseball scholarship. He played peewee football at J.F.L. and the Boy’s Club. In 1982-83 he was a member of the St. Charles High School Pirates who won the State Championship in football. He also played baseball and coached for American Legion Post 312 in St. Charles. Swope’s education includes thousands of hours of training with the U.S. Department of Justice, Drug Enforcement Administration; Cook County Sheriff’s Department; Chicago Police Department; Atlanta, Georgia Metro PD; Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department; Indianapolis PD; Arkansas State Police; Illinois State Police; Los Angeles PD and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. He also attended Lindenwood University. Chief Swope has numerous commendations for exemplary performance in the line of duty, including the Sheriff’s “Award of Excellence”. The Sheriff promoted him in February 1997, to Sergeant over the highly successful Drug Unit, having served as an undercover investigator. He was appointed Team Leader for the St. Charles County SWAT Team and in August of 2000 was appointed acting Lieutenant within the patrol division. He was deputized by the U.S. Department of Treasury and served on a Federal Task Force, which investigated organized crime in the metropolitan area. Sheriff Swope received a meritorious service award for his work on the task force.
