The Bevo Mill neighborhood in south St. Louis now has its own police substation. Community efforts to fund a substation ramped up after the murder of Zemir Begic in December 2014.
The Bosnian Chamber of Commerce donated the second floor of its building at Gravois Ave. and Morganford Rd. for the substation, and the Better Bevo Now Neighborhood Organization hosted fundraisers to pay for a computer and other supplies.
“It keeps the officers in the neighborhood more,” Captain Steven Mueller said during the substation’s opening ceremony on Saturday. “Instead of having to go all the way back to our regular station on Sublette to do reports and things, we’ll have a computer here that’s capable of doing that.”
Mueller oversees the First District of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police, which includes the Bevo Mill neighborhood. According to Mueller, keeping police officers in the neighborhood more will help keep people safe.
“The more people see the police, the more comfortable they feel. But more important than that, the more contact they have with police the more information is exchanged and the better we understand and know one another. And that has a great impact on crime,” Mueller said.
Four foot-beat officers were also assigned to Bevo Mill in January to increase the police presence in the neighborhood. One of the officers, Hajrudin Ducanovic, is Bosnian.
“Everybody knows me in the community, and I know everybody so they either call me on the phone or they see me in the street and they ask me questions,” Ducanovic said. “They call me the mayor of Morganford,” he added with a laugh.
Ducanovic said he serves as a liaison of sorts to the neighborhood’s Bosnian residents.
“Sometimes (the Bosnian residents) don’t understand how the law works, so I’m here to interrupt how the law works so they have a better understanding of the situation,” Ducanovic explained.
A memorial to Ducanovic’s sister Selma was also rededicated Saturday during the opening ceremony for the Bevo Mill substation. Her 1998 murder inspired Ducanovic to become a police officer.
Alderwoman Carol Howard, who represents the Bevo Mill neighborhood, also attended the ceremony. She said crime was the primary concern raised by constituents when she came to office five years ago.
“They tried then to get a substation, but we couldn’t get somebody to agree to loan the property,” Howard said.
Howard said that the tragedy of Bejic’s death united the neighborhood and made the substation a reality.
“Unfortunately (the murder) happened here in Bevo. Fortunately this was the germ for bringing people together and getting behind a cause,” Howard said. “With the diversity in the community sometimes it’s difficult (to come together). There are language barriers; there are pre-conceived ideas of how people are reacting. And now I think we’ve broken down at least some of the barriers.”
When asked whether she thought it was fair that Bevo Mill got a substation because the neighborhood was able to put together the resources to get one, Howard said that she didn't know but it's what the residents wanted.
"That's what America's about," Howard said. "You've got to have the wherewithal to do it if you want to do it."
One Bosnian resident who attended the opening ceremony said he was very thankful for the substation. Another said he felt like very few Bosnians attended the event, compared to how many live in the neighborhood.
Follow Camille Phillips on Twitter: @cmpcamille.
