ST. LOUIS — The Metro Link is safer. That's according to the city's top prosecutor.
Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner offers a bold statement: "It's safer to ride metro link today."
Gardner made that statement as she announced the indictments of a dozen men accused of committing coordinated criminal attacks on St. Louis public transit.
While organized may be too strong, Gardner did admit MetroLink was their turf. And these riders, their targets.
Gardner's office says nine 9 out of the 12 suspects are in custody for committing crimes all throughout the city. 5 On Your Side obtained only eight mugshots.
And while some riders say they feel a little safer now, they also think metro link needs to do more to prevent these crimes before they happen.
Which is why Gardner says her office isn't the only one with work to do.
"We have to do the hard work to make sure that people are safe riding the public transit," Gardner said. "So I think it's not about just the metro link issue, which is a bigger issue that I think they need to have that conversation with themselves."
Metro Transit released the following statement:
“The public has asked us to deliver a safer and more comfortable transit system. A key component of this is to deliver a high level of coordination and cooperation between our law enforcement partners. These indictments serve as evidence of our progress towards cooperation with precise and relentless police work. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Circuit Attorney Gardner and all the law enforcement teams that have successfully worked together to deliver this important victory. Specifically, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the hard work of the MetroLink police patrol and of course our own Public Safety Officers who have provided vital support to Lt. Blaskiewicz’s team. MetroLink is safer today than it was yesterday because of the dedication of these fine men and women.”
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