[TGE-mail] St. Louis Police Say Crime Dropped Sharply In 2007

Thu Jan 10 22:07:34 CST 2008

St. Louis Police Say Crime Dropped Sharply In 2007
  Created: 1/10/2008 5:09:45 PM
  Last updated: 1/10/2008 7:28:23 PM

  KSDK - There were more than 2,000 fewer car theft victims in St. Louis in 2007, according to numbers released by the St. Louis Police Department. Police say almost all crimes saw significant reductions, except for homicide.

In 2006, the city says there were 129 homicides. There were 137 in 2007, the lone category that saw an increase. 

  The number of stolen cars dropped from 8,645 to 6,282. Among other property crimes, St. Louis police report burglaries dropped 14.3% (from 8,510 to 7,289), larcenies dropped 13.7% (from 23,552 to 20,330), and arson dropped 4.9% (from 431 to 410).

Police say crimes against people were also down. Rape cases dropped 24.3% (from 337 to 255), robberies dropped 12.3% (from 3,147 to 2,761) and aggravated assaults dropped 9.9% (from 4,992 to 4,500).

As for homicides, the city says more than half of them happened in 3 of the city's 9 police districts. All 3 are in the north parts of the city, and Police Chief Joe Mokwa says they are working on new approaches for those communities.

He also says the reduction in crime was due to new city initiatives, including the formations of the Crime Suppression Unit and the Crime Analyst Unit.

The Crime Suppression Unit made 1,625 arrests, seized 257 weapons and recovered 359 stolen vehicles, police say.

The Crime Analyst Unit and a CompStat Model helped the department track crimes at the district levels, helping police spot problems and make arrests faster, police say.

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