ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - There's a new collaborative in St. Louis called the "Downtown Engagement and Public Safety Initiative." Mayor Tishaura Jones called government and civic leaders together to tackle the issues of crime, poverty, and lack of opportunity.
At a Tuesday news conference Jones said young people not having things to do is a big part of the crime problem downtown.
As a first step, public safety director Dan Isom announced the addition of 30 police officers to the downtown area on weekend nights, where he says the majority of problems occur. Isom said they'll patrol Washington Avenue, Kiener Plaza, and City Garden for sure.
"Having events that'll occupy these spaces, drawing more people downtown, is a recipe for a long-term solution," he says.
The new collaborative comes after the City cited downtown bars for underage drinking and public nuisance in recent weeks. Homicide rates are at a 5-year low, down 35% from last year, according to Mayor Jones’ office.
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"We're allocating ($11.5 million) in federal American Recovery Act funds toward improving public safety, with youth jobs and programming, community violence intervention programs, and more," Jones said. "As the old saying goes, an idle mind is the devil's workshop. I see an idle downtown as a troublemaker's paradise."
St. Louis Cardinals President Bill DeWitt III is excited about the new collaborative.
"There were already many little 'silo' conversations, so we said let's get together and do a task force," DeWitt said. "Let's pull some additional resources together to discuss ideas and get everybody on the same page."
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