ST. LOUIS
- A south St. Louis neighborhood has a new place for police officers to work and interact with community members. A new sub-station opened Saturday morning at 5039 Gravois in the Bevo Mill neighborhood.
Last November, a Bosnian man was beaten to death in the Bevo Mill area. Zemir Begic's murder helped spur the creation of the new police office.
Bevo Mill is home to the largest Bosnian population in the United States and police chief Sam Dotson says diversity in his department is critical.
"I think when a community sees a police department that's reflective of their community it helps that relationship," said Dotson. "So we've made a commitment to hire people that look like the community we serve."
The department has one Bosnian officer in the academy and three already on the force. One of those officers, Rudy Ducanovic, works in the Bevo Mill neighborhood. It's the same neighborhood where he grew up.
We're fortunate here that we are pretty well represented by just about everybody that would live in the area. If you're not well-represented by all groups how do you confer with those people, how do you talk to them, how do you help them through their issues?" Said David Tallent of Better Bevo Now.
The Bosnian Chamber of Commerce donated the space for the new substation and the neighborhood association raised money for a new computer. Residents say it's a way for them to show support and feel connected to the officers who patrol their neighborhood.
"We're here to be at peace and to live in a good place. That's all we want. We want to be safe," said Adolfo Pacheco.
