ST. LOUIS — Following unruly crowds on Washington Avenue, sheriff’s deputies and a stronger police force will be patrolling the popular entertainment district on weekends.
“The sheriff is not here to play,” St. Louis Sheriff Vernon Betts said. “My guys aren't here to play. I don’t think St. Louis, like last weekend, will be a good place to come, to come down here and jump on cars. That will not happen with me present. I will be one of the ones downtown on the detail.”
Starting on June, 20 armed deputies will be on patrol keeping the streets safe and the crowds in check. It comes after last weekend when video showed crowds jumping on top of a police car.
“If they are dancing on top of the police that's breaking the law, or anyone's car,” the sheriff said. “We can ask them to stop if they don't stop, they will be more than likely detained.”
Sheriff Betts said unlawful people will be detained and quickly handed over to St. Louis Metro Police Department who will make the arrest.
There is a Summer Violence Operation Plan to address increases in violent crime in certain areas of the city. The hours of the detail are Wednesday through Sunday from 7 p.m. to 3 a.m. which corresponds to much of the gun violence we experience in our city. One of those concentrated areas includes downtown.
Neighbor B.J. Roth who has lived downtown for 15 years welcomes the change.
“It's a great place to welcome everyone to a central location,” Roth said.
He's seen downtown revitalized, blossom, now he fears it's going back the other direction.
“You see a lot of drag racing,” Roth said. “Even on my street, a few streets away. Motorcycles doing wheelies. A few things that take away from the spirit of the neighborhood. I wish there was more people that could bring it back to the spirit that I first knew when I moved here.”
Roth is happy reinforcements will soon be keeping the peace.
“Downtown can be saved,” Betts said. “I believe if we work together.”
Mayor Tishaura Jones releases this plan for extra patrols on Memorial Day Weekend before deputies begin their patrols.
- The Summer Cruising Detail (SCD) will patrol Downtown from 7:00pm - 3:00am to enforce traffic laws, redirect traffic, and block off key streets with a high concentration of visitors and residents.
- The Summer Violence Detail (SVD) will patrol all areas of the city from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m., with a concentration around Downtown and parts of North and South St. Louis where calls have been most frequent. The SVD will also serve as backup to the SCD as needed.
- Fire, Excise, and Building Commissions will also be on hand to monitor potential violations from businesses and other locations. In addition, the renewal of an agreement between the City and Sheriff’s Office covering patrols downtown is currently in process.
Turning her attention to the long term, the Mayor’s Office is working in partnership with the Downtown Neighborhood Association (DNA) to host a virtual meeting with Downtown residents next week. Collecting feedback directly from residents is a priority of Mayor Jones, in order to ensure long-term plans adequately address their ongoing safety concerns.
“The people closest to the problem should be closest to the solution,” Mayor Jones said. “We know that people of St. Louis want to feel safe, and any plans we set in motion must address their concerns as proactively as possible. Our goal is to prevent any potential illegal activity before it escalates to injury or harm.”