Seeking to reassure the public that St. Louis City is taking action to curb a recent spate of gun-related crime, City Hall announced on Monday several measures designed to target problem neighborhoods.
Police Chief Dan Isom has isolated 12 focus neighborhoods, 8 of which are located in North St. Louis, 2 in central city and 2 in the south.
Starting last weekend Isom says he is also shifting work schedules to move officers from day to evening patrol.
“This is effectively 60 more officers on the street during the peak times that violence occurs, between 6 p.m. and 2 o’clock in the morning,” Isom said.
The move comes at the same time that St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay also announced a $200,000 federal grant to augment the city’s drug-court operations.
St. Louis Congressman William Lacy Clay was instrumental in securing the grant for St. Louis and says he’s optimistic the city might get even more money for crime prevention.
“We are pushing for another $400,000 in grants for overtime pay for police officers which we think will help us implement chief Isom’s plan,” Clay said.
According to city crime data, assaults with a gun and shootings have nearly tripled over last year.
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