St. Louis Sheriff Alfred Montgomery defended his department’s request for increased funding to support detainee hospital transports during a Monday appearance before the Board of Aldermen’s budget committee.
“Short staffing this unit is simply not an option,” he said. “It creates an unsafe environment for everyone involved — the detainees, the deputies and also the public that have to see [the same] doctors as those detainees in a hospital setting.”
In doing so, Montgomery reversed course from a letter he sent late last month to Mayor Cara Spencer, in which he said his office would stop transporting and supervising hospitalized detainees unless additional resources were provided. The letter, obtained by St. Louis Public Radio, cites a 2002 document from a then-associate city counselor, which argued the city assumes responsibility for pretrial detainees until they are brought before a judge.
A sheriff’s office spokesperson told STLPR that the department had chosen to disband its hospital unit because it lacked the funding to continue operating and needed to explore cost-saving measures. Those efforts, the office said, were necessary to fulfill core legal obligations — including providing courtroom security for the 22nd Judicial Circuit, transporting detainees to and from court, and serving eviction notices and legal papers.
But 5th Ward Alderman Matt Devoti pushed back, citing a 2004 memo that referenced a 1990s agreement between the city and the late Sheriff Jim Murphy. Devoti said hospital transports were explicitly included as part of that deal.
“The composition of the sheriff's office … baked into that is this 25-, 26-year-old agreement by your predecessor that we're going to handle these duties,” Devoti said.
Spencer and several aldermen argued that the department’s budget shortfall — estimated to be $635,000 in total — is largely self-inflicted.
After taking office, Montgomery fired former Sheriff Vernon Betts’ top brass — a 17-person move that resulted in nearly $500,000 in severance payouts to 17 longtime employees. The aldermen raised concerns that those decisions, not just underfunding, contributed to a budget crisis.
Department officials disputed that Montgomery’s terminations led to the shortfall, alleging that Betts’ staff cashed out hundreds of hours of illegal comp time before the new administration took office — a claim STLPR has not independently verified.
The financial woes didn’t stop there. Montgomery warned that the department’s computer system would go offline by November without nearly $260,000 in funding and requested $30,000 for upgraded Tasers.
In a moment that previously fueled committee frustrations, Montgomery’s office had requested around $12,000 for department golf carts he had already purchased. The sheriff later clarified the vehicles were for a new downtown security detail. But on Monday, Devoti questioned whether that responsibility was within the department’s purview — and if there was a formal agreement backing the work.
“This is one contract that I asked about and the response that I got is: ‘Hey, it was a handshake deal,’” Montgomery said. “Well, I can't do a handshake deal. Let's get something in writing. Let's get a memorandum of understanding.”
Throughout the hearing, Montgomery was peppered with questions. He at times spoke over aldermen to rebut their comments.
9th Ward Alderman Michael Browning raised concerns about the slew of controversies surrounding Montgomery’s office, the potential fallout from firing senior staff and the department’s expenditures on new uniforms and non-essential items like golf carts.
“There’s a track record here. In less than a year that you've been in office, repeated instances where this office is going outside the scope of its duties,” Browning said. “The office seems to be focused on these things, and at the same time, you're asking for more money to accomplish your basic tasks. Have you considered cutting down on the things that are not under your office's purview in order to have the staff and money in order to accomplish your core duties?”
Montgomery pushed back.
"You guys are asking me to … stick to your core duties — and I'm trying my best to stick to my core duties — at the same time while asking me: ‘But, we need you to do this,’” the sheriff said, referencing the medical transport. “It doesn't make sense to me.”
Devoti later suggested that the disagreement over the sheriff’s role might need to be clarified through legislation.
“We'll get to work to prepare something so that there is no dispute down the line about what the responsibilities are and what they're not,” he told STLPR.
It’s not clear whether the Board of Aldermen has the authority to define or restrict the duties of the sheriff, a position elected under Missouri law but funded by the city.
Monday’s hearing was the latest chapter in a growing list of controversies surrounding Montgomery.
Last week, a local watchdog group called the Holy Joe Society — which says it works to challenge “improper activities of Missouri local government” — called on the city counselor, the prosecuting attorney and the Missouri Attorney General to oust the sheriff.
The Holy Joe Society cited several accusations: that the sheriff has had employees drive his kids to and from school, had the city’s acting corrections commissioner handcuffed without reason, forced an employee to roll golden dice to avoid being fired and assigned insufficient deputies to protect the courthouse.
Montgomery denied all of the allegations and told aldermen he expects to be vindicated — in time.
“You should probably wait until all this is wrapped up from litigation, and you'll have a better understanding,” Montgomery told the committee. “We can't go by the news sources. Their job is entertainment.”
Browning said he wants the sheriff’s office to succeed but said the headlines make it difficult to justify increased funding.
“What you're saying is we need this money, trust us,” he said. “The problem is that it is very hard to trust you.”
