STL police chief, circuit attorney attend public safety town hall
ST. LOUIS – Last week, St. Louis officials released data they say shows a significant drop in several crimes in the city. That includes a huge drop in homicides in 2023 compared to 2022.
Appearing at Monday’s public safety town hall, St. Louis Police Chief Robert Tracy spent part of the evening answering questions from residents about crime, youth violence, and other city issues.
“It’s just not about making arrests, but trying to do intervention, prevention and enforcement,” he said. “These are the three key things that Mayor Tishaura Jones has talked about at a lot of community meetings.
“Looking at some of the numbers that I thought that were very critical from this year versus last year, a 47% reduction in our juveniles being shot in this city and a 50% overall in victims. …I think it’s not just policing alone, but all of us working together with a common goal.”
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The chief was one of six community leaders to address the public Monday night. Board of Alderman President Megan Green, St. Louis City Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore, Vice President of Public Safety for Urban League of St. Louis Metropolitan James Clark, Director of Public Safety for the City of St. Louis Charles Coyle, and Dr. L.J. Punch, founder of The Bric and The T, joined Chief Tracy in addressing the public.
“There were hundreds and hundreds of violent crimes in those 6,700 pending warrants that had not been reviewed,” Gore said. “We have reviewed those and made charging decisions that are appropriate. So, that’s the work we’ve been up to.”
The hope is that meetings like this will help residents and city officials work together to find solutions to make St. Louis neighborhoods safe for all.
Panelists believe that we are moving in a positive direction toward decreasing crime in our community.
“It’s to apprise the St. Louis City residents on what’s going on as it relates to crime and violence. To put the information out there so they can hear from leadership,” Clark said. “Why we are experiencing this reduction in homicide and why overall crime is down.”
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