Already tuned in. Looking forward to hearing Ald. French talk about cameras.
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Because I believe it when the chief says crime is down and I think we are already paying too much of our city budget to things like the operating of the police department.So, again, why do you oppose more officers?
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The implication of what you're saying is 1) that crime decreases are not correlated to policing and 2) that the city would derive more value from directing funds to something else (whether that be a city department or returned to taxpayers). Is that correct?
*Edit*
Just to clarify, the city budget lists $120 million for the SLMPD out of a $480 million budget (25%). if you add the police pension fund, which is a separate but related issue, then the city spent about $150 million on policing (31%). I think if you asked most people what the number one problem facing the city is, it would be crime by a wide margin.
*Edit*
Just to clarify, the city budget lists $120 million for the SLMPD out of a $480 million budget (25%). if you add the police pension fund, which is a separate but related issue, then the city spent about $150 million on policing (31%). I think if you asked most people what the number one problem facing the city is, it would be crime by a wide margin.
Are you kidding? Crime may be down, but because crime is down a bit, let up? Not a chance. SLMPD needs to keep up the pressure and increase it. Until we see a crime rate that's half our present crime rate, there should be no rest, no let up, no reduction in resources. And yes, agree that sentencing needs to be more aggressive.Because I believe it when the chief says crime is down and I think we are already paying too much of our city budget to things like the operating of the police department.
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Did anyone see the dash cam video of the (out-of-state) police officer playing catch with kid at the apt. complex with no one to play with? More of that kind of "community policing," please. I'd like to see a robust initiative with placing "community resource officers" that work both in schools and in the communities... being a positive force/role model that builds trust and relationships while also being able to know the kids who are starting to get in trouble and hopefully intervene.
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Here is NN's takeaway from today's KWMU radio show on city crime:
1) Professor Rosenfeld validated the many times NN has stated that vacant and abandoned buildings are a negative influence in city neighborhoods, directly resulting in an increase in crime.
2) Alderman Schmid validated NN's point that being a good neighbor is a very important crime fighting measure when he noted that he could always tell by the shape an alley is in whether that block had a crime problem. Neighbors are responsible for the care and cleanup of alleys.
3) Alderman French validated NN's many references to the importance of strategic leadership to the health of neighborhoods when he noted that the struggling College Hill neighborhood suffers from a lack of leadership due to its one-neighborhood-carved-up-into-three ward status, whereby it's not the responsibility of any one alderman to care for it, so as a result, it suffers overall.
4) All three validated NN's contention that the budget for the police department is high enough. Prof. Rosenfeld indicated the department is effective, and becoming more effective; neither Alds. Schmid or French called for more funding for the police department, although French argued for more police services to his ward and other high crime areas. Would not argue with that point.
And as far as most people thinking crime is the number one issue facing STL city, that may be true of most people, but not this person. Not by a long shot.
It was very interesting to hear Ald. Schmid describe a significant drop in crime in his 20th ward, and for him to give major props to the residents of Gravois Park as being partly responsible to bringing down crime.
All in all, it was a very good show!
1) Professor Rosenfeld validated the many times NN has stated that vacant and abandoned buildings are a negative influence in city neighborhoods, directly resulting in an increase in crime.
2) Alderman Schmid validated NN's point that being a good neighbor is a very important crime fighting measure when he noted that he could always tell by the shape an alley is in whether that block had a crime problem. Neighbors are responsible for the care and cleanup of alleys.
3) Alderman French validated NN's many references to the importance of strategic leadership to the health of neighborhoods when he noted that the struggling College Hill neighborhood suffers from a lack of leadership due to its one-neighborhood-carved-up-into-three ward status, whereby it's not the responsibility of any one alderman to care for it, so as a result, it suffers overall.
4) All three validated NN's contention that the budget for the police department is high enough. Prof. Rosenfeld indicated the department is effective, and becoming more effective; neither Alds. Schmid or French called for more funding for the police department, although French argued for more police services to his ward and other high crime areas. Would not argue with that point.
And as far as most people thinking crime is the number one issue facing STL city, that may be true of most people, but not this person. Not by a long shot.
It was very interesting to hear Ald. Schmid describe a significant drop in crime in his 20th ward, and for him to give major props to the residents of Gravois Park as being partly responsible to bringing down crime.
All in all, it was a very good show!
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^Please don't speak of yourself in the third person.
Focus: "No Snitching" is alive and well because people are afraid to report their neighbors who commit crimes...
Therefore, the best solution is to increase the numbers of cameras on corners & thoroughfares throughout the parts of STL with the most crimes. "Eyes in the Sky" are not afraid to snitch. It's Orwellian, but College Hill is comparable to Damascus in violence.
And: Put the first cameras on the bridges between STL & the Near East Side. Get license plates and migration patterns of people between STL & East STL, and police accordingly.
Very much, I believe in getting STL's Finest more money for policing and increasing the number of officers out there. Also, make City police pay comparable to police pay in the County, and we'll get better police officers. And what would be best of all is the combination of the City & County police departments into a fully incorporated Metro STL police department.
Focus: "No Snitching" is alive and well because people are afraid to report their neighbors who commit crimes...
Therefore, the best solution is to increase the numbers of cameras on corners & thoroughfares throughout the parts of STL with the most crimes. "Eyes in the Sky" are not afraid to snitch. It's Orwellian, but College Hill is comparable to Damascus in violence.
And: Put the first cameras on the bridges between STL & the Near East Side. Get license plates and migration patterns of people between STL & East STL, and police accordingly.
Very much, I believe in getting STL's Finest more money for policing and increasing the number of officers out there. Also, make City police pay comparable to police pay in the County, and we'll get better police officers. And what would be best of all is the combination of the City & County police departments into a fully incorporated Metro STL police department.
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Sorry, other than the "no-snitch" tradition (which isn't universal across the city - witness Gravois Park) you didn't address a single point that was made on the show. Nobody cited criminals coming from Illinois to Missouri being a target for crime prevention. Nobody suggested mounting cameras to bridges to monitor people driving from Illinois to Missouri.
They did mention neighborhood involvement, larger districts in the city, the need to clear abandoned buildings, and overall crime reductions, all things that I, NN, have stated here repeatedly.
They did mention neighborhood involvement, larger districts in the city, the need to clear abandoned buildings, and overall crime reductions, all things that I, NN, have stated here repeatedly.
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^Related to the no snitching issue was the tidbit from the show that District 1 (southwest city) receives the most calls for service. This is despite Ald. French saying the officers in his district have no time for patrols. More calls for service per resident = less time for patrols.
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You're on a roll GC! From busting a poster's chops in using the 3rd person, to calling for some Fed action in ESL to endorsing use of more cameras, I'm with YOU!
In fact, I'd endorse a drone over the river that simply tracks cars coming and going from ESL and surrounding run-down neighborhoods to STL. Max out the high-tech usage to deter crime.
In fact, I'd endorse a drone over the river that simply tracks cars coming and going from ESL and surrounding run-down neighborhoods to STL. Max out the high-tech usage to deter crime.
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Let's take this one step further:In fact, I'd endorse a drone over the river that simply tracks cars coming and going from ESL and surrounding run-down neighborhoods to STL. Max out the high-tech usage to deter crime.
Put drones over Shankalot's and GC's houses for starters! How's that grab ya?
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To Shanksalot's point: Drones only last a few hours. Better to mount cameras on the bridges and just blanket the areas with them. Monitor at all times, too. But as French and others said, it's expensive to install and it will be expensive to monitor. Maybe it's an idea to monitor them with summer jobs and afternoon/evening jobs for high school kids?
And you know what, NN? I'll take a drone over my house. Monitor it, including the street, too. Fewer punks breaking in. Throw in a streetlight-mounted camera and I'm sold. Do it on every single one. Put the cameras online, too.
http://www.ntga.net/WebCamera.aspx
http://fox2now.com/webcams/coffee-carte ... -west-end/
And you know what, NN? I'll take a drone over my house. Monitor it, including the street, too. Fewer punks breaking in. Throw in a streetlight-mounted camera and I'm sold. Do it on every single one. Put the cameras online, too.
http://www.ntga.net/WebCamera.aspx
http://fox2now.com/webcams/coffee-carte ... -west-end/
Abandoned buildings may become haven's for crime, but that doesn't automatically equate to tearing them down being the solution. Once they're gone, they're gone, and that sets a neighborhood's chances of rebounding quickly significantly back.
I'm not sure what the answer to that problem is. In addition to the stabilization fund that has been created (and hopefully will be expanded), could there be a task force who's job it is to monitor vacant buildings and prevent them from becoming havens. I don't know if that's feasible. It'd certainly take more funding. It's just a thought.
As for College Hill not being anyone's specific responsibility, I see the fundamental flaw that causes it. However, that's also a sad statement. The new candidate for the 13th Ward, Beth Murphy, recently said "What’s good for the city is good for my ward."
That's the attitude all the alderman need to have. How do any of them think letting College Hill further deteriorate is ok or good for their ward? I understand they report to the citizens of their ward, and I understand those citizens concerns are paramount, but it just speaks to many of them not understanding the responsibility they truly have. Honestly, Beth Murphy's statement says it better than any other bit of explanation could.
In my opinion, the top issues facing STL City are schools and crime, and they go hand in hand.
Bad schools come from poverty. Poverty that breeds disengaged parents (either out of necessity or feeling a lack of responsibility). The breeds unmotivated children. The poverty also means a lack of resources at the school. These things combined handcuff teachers who might well be great at their jobs but just can't do much. Policy is a factor too, but primarily it all stems from poverty.
And the same is true of the crime. It comes from living in poverty. Having to commit crime to survive or just not understanding anything else as being a better alternative.
The reason these are St. Louis' biggest issues isn't that they directly affect the majority of the population of St. Louis' every day life. They probably don't. The issue is that they keep population out of St. Louis city. And that indirectly affects everything.
I'm not sure what the answer to that problem is. In addition to the stabilization fund that has been created (and hopefully will be expanded), could there be a task force who's job it is to monitor vacant buildings and prevent them from becoming havens. I don't know if that's feasible. It'd certainly take more funding. It's just a thought.
As for College Hill not being anyone's specific responsibility, I see the fundamental flaw that causes it. However, that's also a sad statement. The new candidate for the 13th Ward, Beth Murphy, recently said "What’s good for the city is good for my ward."
That's the attitude all the alderman need to have. How do any of them think letting College Hill further deteriorate is ok or good for their ward? I understand they report to the citizens of their ward, and I understand those citizens concerns are paramount, but it just speaks to many of them not understanding the responsibility they truly have. Honestly, Beth Murphy's statement says it better than any other bit of explanation could.
In my opinion, the top issues facing STL City are schools and crime, and they go hand in hand.
Bad schools come from poverty. Poverty that breeds disengaged parents (either out of necessity or feeling a lack of responsibility). The breeds unmotivated children. The poverty also means a lack of resources at the school. These things combined handcuff teachers who might well be great at their jobs but just can't do much. Policy is a factor too, but primarily it all stems from poverty.
And the same is true of the crime. It comes from living in poverty. Having to commit crime to survive or just not understanding anything else as being a better alternative.
The reason these are St. Louis' biggest issues isn't that they directly affect the majority of the population of St. Louis' every day life. They probably don't. The issue is that they keep population out of St. Louis city. And that indirectly affects everything.
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fine..they'll see a law-abiding family....no worries here.
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There's a post on Facebook that just came from Alderman French stating that the 1/3 of the city that's homicide free must care about the 1/3 of the city that has 100 killings per 100,000 residents.
That's a nice thought, but what does it mean in practice, and furthermore, why not expand the statement to say the 2.7 million residents of the region that live in homicide free neighborhoods must care about the 100,000 residents living in high crime/murder zones.
Is there a difference? 'Cause I'd rather have 2.7 million something people caring about me than 100,000.
That's a nice thought, but what does it mean in practice, and furthermore, why not expand the statement to say the 2.7 million residents of the region that live in homicide free neighborhoods must care about the 100,000 residents living in high crime/murder zones.
Is there a difference? 'Cause I'd rather have 2.7 million something people caring about me than 100,000.
You're spot on there, NN, but we're not close to that being the case. That's partly why I'd like to see a full-merger. Then you can't choose whether you're a part of the region or just in a nearby city. Then it's both. And "their" problems are "your" problems.
It should be that way regardless of political boundaries, but unfortunately that's not how enough people feel.
It should be that way regardless of political boundaries, but unfortunately that's not how enough people feel.
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Respectfully, I'm not trying to speak solely within your narrative of the conversational discourse and how you think it should progress. I do not want to write repeated accounts about what a radio report had already reported. And no, I did not say, or infer, that "No Snitching" was only in North City. Then, to passive-aggressively state that you want a drone over my house? Seriously, this is not effective conversation. And 300,000+ people & businesses caring for the 100,000 that live in an environment where crime is prevalent... Part of that involvement comes from regional taxation for policing the entire City, that all the City's taxes go to the StLPD, and the majority of policing that goes on MUST go on in the most crime-ridden areas. We are united here; we mustn't look to squabble.Northside Neighbor wrote:Sorry, other than the "no-snitch" tradition (which isn't universal across the city - witness Gravois Park) you didn't address a single point that was made on the show.
And with that, I very much agree with you... STL needs to seriously look at merging the efforts of our policing forces. We all talk about merging the City and County; this should start with merging the City and County Police Departments.
jstriebel wrote:You're spot on there, NN, but we're not close to that being the case. That's partly why I'd like to see a full-merger. Then you can't choose whether you're a part of the region or just in a nearby city. Then it's both. And "their" problems are "your" problems.
It should be that way regardless of political boundaries, but unfortunately that's not how enough people feel.
How much do you think west county residents see north county problems as their own problems?
And to all those who see drones and cameras all over the city as a solution for our crime problems...yikes
Note that I said a full-merger, not a re-joining of the county.
West county doesn't have to see North county's problems as their own because Ladue isn't Normandy.
If everything is just St. Louis, that changes. Somewhat. It won't flip a switch I realize, but it will add an extra level of responsibility.
West county doesn't have to see North county's problems as their own because Ladue isn't Normandy.
If everything is just St. Louis, that changes. Somewhat. It won't flip a switch I realize, but it will add an extra level of responsibility.
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Hate to bring up bad new
http://www.kmov.com/news/just-posted/Ma ... 00621.html
Dose any one know how much murders so far this year?
http://www.kmov.com/news/just-posted/Ma ... 00621.html
Dose any one know how much murders so far this year?
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^ reads like it wasn't random. surprise, surprise.
jstriebel wrote:Note that I said a full-merger, not a re-joining of the county.
West county doesn't have to see North county's problems as their own because Ladue isn't Normandy.
If everything is just St. Louis, that changes. Somewhat. It won't flip a switch I realize, but it will add an extra level of responsibility.
Spanish Lake and Lemay are both communities in unincorporated St. Louis County with the same governmental services, jurisdictions, and resources. I don't think there is much solidarity between these communities.
But I do like the idea of a merger between Stl County Police and SLMPD
Oh, I agree. I don't think it'd do a great deal of good at first. But I think in time perhaps it'd help. Or not. I really don't know.
Isn't this where "at large" City Council Reps should become part of the picture? There is already a plan to reduce the number of wards and therefore City Council Reps (let's stop using that stuffy, antiquated, and paternalistic term alderman), so maybe the next step should be a ballot measure to make half the remaining City Council seats at large and consolidate the other half. Are any of the present City Council Reps looking at this path or any citizen groups putting it on the ballot?As for College Hill not being anyone's specific responsibility, I see the fundamental flaw that causes it. However, that's also a sad statement. The new candidate for the 13th Ward, Beth Murphy, recently said "What’s good for the city is good for my ward."
That's the attitude all the alderman need to have.