Bell told the staff “the door is open” to his office for questions and reminded them that “nobody should be talking to the media.” Bell announced that former St. Louis city prosecutor Sam Alton would be his chief of staff, that former North County Police Cooperative Chief Tim Swope would be the director of operations and that longtime prosecutor Doug Sidel would join the executive staff. Bell also said Assistant Prosecutor Teresa Bomkamp would head the sex crimes unit.

Bell told staff that he lamented being unable to meet with them before his swearing-in and said he was “not here to take shots at the prior administration.”

The prosecutors voted last month to join the St. Louis Police Officers Association but have yet to publicly state their reasons. Prosecutors and investigators in the office have said privately that they voted to organize not out of fear of Bell but to preserve anticipated pay raises brought by the passage of Proposition P, the measure that set up a sales tax for public safety.