| St. Louis is one of the most dangerous cities in America. But you wouldn’t know it from the FBI’s crime statistics. For three months this year, the city of St. Louis failed to report legally required crime data to the state – the second time in a year – leading the FBI to disavow their own reports. It’s also not the first time: the City failed to report stats for eight months leading to a 2021 FBI report that reflected only a portion of the city’s crimes for the year. Unfortunately, this is the least of the city’s crime problems. Since state control of the St. Louis Police Department was turned over to local leadership in 2013, the challenges facing the citi-zens of St. Louis have only increased. Downtown businesses are closing, citizens are scared, and nearly 60% of homicides have gone unsolved since 2017, due to the lack of manpower to assist with canvasses and community engagement. Without proper community engagement, there can’t be effective community protection and enforcement. Read the full column here. |
