Crime

Dana Howard, a state champion at East St. Louis High School and an All-American linebacker at the University of Illinois before being drafted by the Dallas Cowboys and playing for the St. Louis Rams, was named in the indictment along with two others.

Homicide numbers continue to drop after a near-record high in 2020. Shootings and burglaries are up slightly in 2024 compared to the same time last year.

The stop at Emerson Park in East St. Louis marked the first of MetroLink’s “secure platforms” — a $52 million upgrade for stations that will include turnstiles, gates, fencing and checking tickets.

The former director of the East St. Louis Public Library was indicted in federal court on five counts of wire fraud and embezzlement.

Lisa Jeanine Findley of Missouri is is charged with trying to defraud Elvis Presley’s estate of millions of dollars and steal ownership of the iconic Graceland property in Memphis.

Jefferson City Correctional Center’s warden was replaced last week without explanation following the investigation of an inmate’s death, causing activists to call for answers.

The families of shooting victims criticized MetroLink security in 2019 and again in 2023 because no police were patrolling the Metro East stations at the time the crimes occurred.

Residents of Gravois Park have opposed a Washington, D.C., film company's plan to use drones to conduct surveillance in their neighborhood. The company’s owner said he'd use the footage to prevent crime. Residents turned to the City of St. Louis to stop the plan.

Milestones include establishing the city’s first Office of Violence Prevention and hiring Police Chief Robert Tracy, whose one-year anniversary was marked on Tuesday.

Homicides dropped by 21% between 2022 and 2023, and juvenile shootings were nearly cut in half last year. City leaders attribute the decline to various police efforts, but crime experts say there's more to consider — including COVID and national trends.