ST. LOUIS — Leaders in the city and beyond say the rampant crime in St. Louis is affecting the region as a whole and talked about both immediate and long-term solutions.
Frustrating, tragic, and disheartening are just a few of the words people used to describe a violent and disorderly weekend in downtown St. Louis.
“Government's first function is to protect its citizens and keep them safe. And when our governments are not doing that, something needs to be done and it needs to be done now,” Wildwood Mayor Jim Bowlin said.
Resident and Chair of Citizens for a Greater Downtown St. Louis Les Stearman says they have proposed several solutions including some that could make a difference right away.
“I think there needs to be a blitz of law enforcement for some period of time to get the traffic lawlessness under control. I think right away we know which landlords are a problem. The city needs to get on their case immediately and put a stop to this,” Stearman said.
Greater St. Louis Inc. CEO Jason Hall said in a statement:
“The instances of violent crime that took place this weekend were tragic, disheartening, and maddening. They also underscore the critical and urgent need for a regional strategy to reduce violent crime across the St. Louis metro. Because violent crime impacts everyone in the St. Louis region and can be a barrier to economic growth and prosperity in our metro, we need a regional strategy to address it. To that end, we are collaborating with the East-West Gateway Council of Governments on a Regional Crime Summit in the coming weeks at which we will convene elected leaders, police, prosecutors, educators, human service providers, religious organizations, and outside experts to begin forming a unified strategy to reduce violent crime. We need clear goals and strategies that operate at scale.”
Area mayors and county executives, including Bowlin, agree with that sentiment and pushed for a 6-point plan just weeks ago.
Their plan called on Missouri legislators to first combine the St. Louis County and city prosecuting offices.
“So by combining those two offices, you gain economies of scale. You also have the ability with respect to city residents, for example, to have speedier trials,” Bowlin said.
They also asked for higher penalties connected to fentanyl deaths, car thefts and a reassessment of the juvenile system.
“We would see an immediate effect in terms of being able to hold juveniles if their parents can't pick them up, as opposed to when they commit a crime at the behest of someone doing a drug deal because they know that juveniles will be let go immediately, that will no longer happen,” Bowlin said.
St. Louis police say they did have an increased presence downtown this weekend despite claims disputing that and will continue to increase their patrols on the weekends.
“We have to create a large presence and hopefully people that will deter people from coming downtown or anywhere else in the city carrying weapons,” SLMPD Major Ryan Cousins said.
Bowlin says they haven’t heard from the city regarding their 6-point plan.
5 On Your Side reached out to Mayor Tishaura Jones' office Monday. The office said she was unavailable and referred to a statement they made Sunday.
5 On Your Side has been looking to other cities for ways to solve crime and other issues stifling St. Louis. You can find that coverage below.