ST. LOUIS – St. Louis judges want to hire their own bailiffs because of staffing problems in the St. Louis Sheriff’s Department.
FOX 2’s partners at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that Sheriff Vernon Betts admits his department is understaffed, but he calls the move an attempt by judges to take over the sheriff’s department. The judges plan to add to their budget to hire 36 bailiffs for courthouse security.
Sheriff’s deputies would continue to staff security at courthouse entrances.