But both Calvert and St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar said they knew nothing about such a request. Calvert said: “That may have been a deal that was cut with (former County Executive Steve) Stenger, but we’re not aware of a request for 42 police officers.”

Belmar said, “We’re unaware of that. I don’t recall that at all. I mean, at all.”

Krewson doubled down on Wednesday, saying that “back in March, Chief Belmar indicated the county had plenty of police officers and that they didn’t have any trouble recruiting officers.”

She said she suggested to Belmar and Stenger that the county “loan” officers to the city “if they had the additional officers to help us fill some of the vacancies.”

She said Belmar was at “one of the meetings and there were some subsequent conversations.”

In a brief phone interview later, Krewson said the meeting had been between her and Stenger and a group of “civic leaders” she would not identify, and that Belmar was present. She said part of her hope was that the number of county officers loaned to the city would ultimately double. Asked whether she had made a written request, Krewson said notes had been taken and had been put into writing, but would not clarify what that meant.