Homicide rates in St. Louis, Missouri, are rising and may surpass the 194 recorded homicides in 2019, according to data from the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department crime reports.
Between January and May, the city had 77 homicides recorded. Data from the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Homicide Analysis for 2020, says there were 99 homicides from January through June, suggesting there were 22 murders this month alone.
Of the 99 murders, only 29 of the cases have been closed, meaning that no arrests have been made in connection to those cases, according to the UCR Homicide Analysis.
Eight of the homicides were labeled justifiable, meaning that it is viable by law and will not be regarded as being criminally guilty. Those homicides are not included in the total count.
James Clark, vice president of public safety and community response for the St. Louis Urban League, told Fox 2 St. Louis that St. Louis has “a violence crisis” because the city isn’t doing what is necessary to stop the crimes.
“This is senseless violence, but now we’re looking at needless violence. We need not continue at the rate that is happening in the St. Louis Metropolitan area,” Clark said.
Clark believes that the rise in crime in the city is due to the lack of de-escalation procedures. Ultimately, he says that it is important to initiate the de-escalation process within the community, and through taking the one-on-one approach with each party during a conflict.
“The problem is we don’t have the infrastructure in place to meet them where they are and go about the business of de-escalating conflicts,” Clark said.
This view is echoed by Lewis Reed, the president of the Board of Alderman, who is worried that the summer of 2020 will be plagued with even more crime.
“We’re essentially going to go another summer with no additional support, till operating on the old system that’s brought murders after murder, after murders,” Reed said.
