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Elected leaders from across the bi-state St. Louis metro formally agreed to apply to be part of a violent crime reduction program overseen by national organization the Violence Reduction Center, which is led by nationally renowned criminologist Thomas Abt.
The leaders approved the move following their participation two weeks ago in the Regional Crime Summit, organized by the East-West Gateway Council of Governments with support from Greater St. Louis, Inc. The summit convened elected leaders, police, prosecutors, educators, the business community, human service providers, religious organizations, and outside experts to begin forming a unified strategy to reduce violent crime.
In advance of the Regional Crime Summit, Greater St. Louis, Inc. and the Regional Business Council released a report, “The Need for a Regional Strategy to Reduce Homicides,” that detailed the homicide crisis in the 15-county bi-state St. Louis metro.
In releasing the white paper, Jason Hall and Kathy Osborn of GSL and RBC, respectively, called on regional officials to come together to develop a regional strategy to address the metro’s homicide crisis: “This is solvable. We can reduce violent crime and help our region reach its true potential if we work as one metro to develop a strategy that is collaborative, employs evidence-based strategies, and sets clear goals we must achieve.”