By Antonio D. French
Filed Tuesday, December 19, 2006 at 10:07 AM
According to crime statistics released by the FBI yesterday, the City of St. Louis -- already known as the "Most Dangerous City in America" -- is even more violent in 2006 than in 2005.
Comparing the first six months of the year:
Violent Crime:
2005 - 3,736
2006 - 4,119
Murders:
2005 - 60
2006 - 56
Forcible Rape:
2005 - 108
2006 - 179
Robbery:
2005 - 1,269
2006 - 1,416
Aggravated Assault:
2005 - 2,299
2006 - 2,468
Property Crime:
2005 - 19,055
2006 - 18,761
Burglary:
2005 - 3,327
2006 - 3,863
Larceny-Theft:
2005 - 11,664
2006 - 11,263
Motor Vehicle Theft:
2005 - 4,064
2006 - 3,635
Arson:
2005 - 245
2006 - 201
And now some commentary...
Since the State of Missouri, which through a governor-appointed police board runs St. Louis City's police department, is doing such a stellar job protecting our citizens, maybe now would be a good time to carry that model over to the public schools.
Or perhaps Mayor Francis Slay should fight as hard to bring control of our police force back to the local level, just like 99% of the police departments in America, so that we might hold our police chief accountable.
On a personal note, there was a period a few weeks ago when there was a shooting every day in my neighborhood for over a week. What elected official can I or my neighbors call to get recourse? None.
As a matter of fact, my alderman, 21st Ward Ald. Bennice Jones King, and the alderman of my neighboring ward, 27th Ward Ald. Greg Carter, both recently wrote letters to Police Chief Joe Mokwa pleading for him to do more to address the rampant drug-related crime in north St. Louis -- but to no obvious avail.
A drug dealer can operate freely on too many northside street corners. Next to zero police presence make too many neighborhoods the playgrounds of thugs and leave most of the residents as victims of urban terrorism, prisoners in their own homes.
But recent comments from the mayor's office and the police department seem to suggest we're on our own, that it's all our problem because "most" neighborhoods in the city are safe.
The mayor and the chief seem more concerned about defending our city's honor than its citizens.
13 Comments:
Thats because they live in safe neighborhoods. Why should they care about your neighborhood Antonio? Didn't you know its us v. them in St. Louis? As long as they can walk their streets, they will care less about the plight of the less than affluent areas. It is up to us to change the agenda.
12/19/2006 11:30 AM
So it's the police department's fault when people choose to commit crimes? Nobody would be out there selling drugs if nobody was buying.
12/19/2006 4:59 PM
Most of the dealers in my neighborhood deal to residents of other neighborhoods, municipalities and counties.
Many of the places where the buyers live have very little street-side dealing.
You don't see dealers in St. Louis Hills, but I'll bet some residents there are users.
Dealers operate where they are left alone. Their customers are not necessarily local. Is that fair to residents of north city? Obviously dealers wouldn't deal if there were not customers, but the bigger problem is the spatial concentration of drug dealing.
I too fear that Mokwa is asleep at the wheel on the issue. There is too much focus on image and not enough hard work coming from the police today. The irony is that approach will degrade the city's image in the long turn if the crime rate rises.
12/19/2006 7:19 PM
"So it's the police department's fault when people choose to commit crimes? Nobody would be out there selling drugs if nobody was buying. "
In related news, since reading this anonymous comment, the fire department has stopped trying to put out fires because they didn't set them in the first place.
UM...............LOGIC?
12/19/2006 10:15 PM
Read all about it! Concealed carry doesn't lower crime rates afterall.
12/19/2006 11:50 PM
"Read all about it! Concealed carry doesn't lower crime rates afterall."
Perhaps that is because everywhere you go in the city the individuals and businesses have disallowed them. I do not own a gun, but even if I did, it would be pointless to carry in the city since I would have take it off almost any place I go.
12/20/2006 6:31 AM
To Antonio,
As a hard working police officer and a veteran of North St. Louis for my entire career (10 years). I really take offense to your statements. I really believe that you speak about this from a slanted view and not one of total enlightment. I would suggest that maybe for one day that you ride along with the hard working men and women of the St. Louis Police Department.
Currently the Police Department is at one of its all-time lows in manpower, definitely the lowest in the past 30 years. I would suggest that this is partly due to the fact that the City continues to give out tax money to developers while recouping nothing. In the long run will it work out best for the City? I certainly hope so, but in the short term it is killing this City.
Police Officers wear many different hats and handle many different tasks throughout the day. Many of these tasks are not law enforcement related but we do it because the City lacks the other resources to handle it themselves. Some of these are animal at large (whenever a dog is running in your neighborhood we get called, not the dog catcher). Answering calls for service from the public occupies the vast majority of our time. The other time we spend is trying to patrol our assigned neighborhoods. Unfortunately there are court dates that we have to appear on, vacation, injuries and myriad of other things. Again unfortunately when someone is out there is just nobody to fill in.
Finally I have to say that you need to look beyond just the Police Department and look to the Judicial System. I would venture to say that most of these neighborhood "terrorist" have been arrested numerous times without any meaningful type of punishment or rehab. It truly is a vicious system but we are just the beginning of the system and have little to no input for the rest of it.
I am not complaining but just trying to explain that even though this Chief should be held accountable and this Mayor be held accountable that you need to look further into the situation. You need to look into the judges and the prosecutors and hold them accountable as well. They are elected officials and should be held accountable. I honestly don't believe that giving control back to the City will help crime in any way. Looking at the root problem of crime is what is needed. Look to solutions on homelessness, poverty and lack of education. These are often times basis for crime. Again we are just the front line and a cog in the wheel. We are overtaxed by an already burdensome system. Please look to help rather than just place blame on statistics but look deeper.
12/20/2006 6:36 AM
We need some parents to whip their kids ASS in the neighborhoods, on the streets, in the homes, in the schools, on the block, in grocery stores, at restaurants, at department stores, in the malls, at the movies, at grandma's house, for a Christmas gift, when they get their report card, on their lunch break, on their sick days off, and on vacation days.
This is the time for MASS ASS WHIPPINGS, FUCK SOME TIME OUT BULLSHIT. TIME OUT DID NOT WORK AND IT WAS A COMPLETE FAILURE AND THE STATE OF THE YOUTH AND EDUCATION PROVES IT. THESE KIDS NEED A GOOD ASSWHIPPING, AND CORPORAL PUNISHMENT NEEDS TO BE ALLOWED BACK IN THE CLASSROOM.
CORPORAL PUNISHMENT WAS TAKEN OUT THE CLASSROOM BECAUSE WHITE PEOPLE DID NOT WANT BLACK PEOPLE WHIPPING THEIR KIDS ASS IN THE CLASSROOM. THOSE WHITE KIDS NEEDED THEIR ASSES WHIPPED BY A BLACK PERSON, THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN TRUE INTEGRATION! THESE WHITE KIDS WOULD HAVE TRULY UNDERSTOOD THE BLACK EXPERIENCE WITH A GOOD ASSWHIPPING, INSTEAD BLACK CHILDREN LEARNED DISRESPECTFUL BEHAVIOR FROM WHITE CHILDREN.
THAT'S WHY MS. USA CONNERS IS A FUCKING DRUG ADDICT AND ALCOHOLIC BUT GETS ANOTHER CHANCE FOR THE CROWN, BUT MS. USA KENYA MOORE WOULD NOT HAVE GOTTEN ANOTHER CHANCE. MS. USA NEEDS HER ASS BEAT-NOT SOME TIME OUT IN REHAB, SHE WAS DRINKING UNDERAGE FOR GOODNESS SAKE! SHE IS A UNDERAGE COKEHEAD AND ALCOHOLIC, WHAT AN EXAMPLE FOR THE CHILDREN!
TIME FOR THAT BELT ON THAT ASS IN AMERICA!!!!!!!!
12/20/2006 7:39 AM
Anonymous Officer,
My criticism were not pointed at the men and women that serve as officers in the city. My criticism is of the leadership of the department -- the police board and the chief -- and the archaic system of state-control that leaves the department without citizen accountability.
My criticism is also of the mayor and our St. Louis delegation to the state legislature for not fighting to bring that local control back to the city.
Will local control help reduce crime? Perhaps.
Local control would mean that unified calls from north St. Louis political leaders to have as frequent police patrols down West Florissant as occur on, say, Euclid in the Central West End might actually be heard.
Local control might mean that loud and clear messages from the citizens to keep officers living in the city would be heard. Cops living in neighborhoods does reduce crime (when is the last time someone was murdered in The Hill?) and it helps build trust among citizens and police.
Local control might also mean the creation of a real Civilian Oversight Board, which will again be a tool which over time can create more trust in neighborhoods that are plagued with reports of police violence.
At the end of the day, local control is the way police departments are supposed to be operated and the way nearly every police department in America is operated and the reason is exactly what I've stated:
Citizens need to be able to demand accountability from the people that are charged with keeping their streets safe.
12/20/2006 8:18 AM
From the mayor site
Chief Joe Mokwa doesn’t make a lot of excuses about that. He notes that bad schools.....
What else can we blame on the schools????
Dont you get tired of hearing these officials constantly blaming the schools,the schools ,the schools,if the state takes over the board will these people all the sudden blame something else??Just watch how they change thier tune...
Got to love the blame game.
The schools are not failing the children,the parents of failing students are failing thier children.Come to class prepared and participate and you will learn from the teachers,dont show up for class and you will learn the life of street crime...
12/20/2006 8:32 AM
The reason that crime doesn't occur in the Hill is not because police officers live there--it's because the people that live there are raised not to be criminals, to glorify violent behavior, and to reject the values of decent, civilized society.
12/20/2006 11:32 AM
Once these murderers and rapists are caught by the police, the prosecutors don't have the resources to put them away thanks to Jim Shrewsbury slashing the Circuit Attorney's budget.
12/20/2006 2:59 PM
The people on the Hill have no involvement with violent crime? That's funny. Read St. Louis Gangsters.
12/20/2006 10:13 PM
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