Firearm Violence in St. Louis: Outcomes from a Police-Prosecution Partnership

• In Event: New Findings from the Strategies for Policing Innovation Initiative #3

Abstract

St. Louis confronts a chronically high level of violence, specifically firearm violence. According to the FBI, St. Louis has among the nation’s highest rates for rape, robbery, aggravated assault, and murder. The St. Louis Police Department was awarded a Police Prosecutor Partnership Initiative grant to understand and combat gun violence across the region. The funding has been used to help develop a Gun Crime Intelligence Center and to provide outreach and services to victims of violence crime with the broad goals of reducing gun crime and enhancing victim cooperation. The current presentation will describe the program model with an emphasis on the role of NIBN and ShotSpotter data in understanding the nature and the scope of the problem. Data on the initial outcomes of the program and challenges to implementation will also be discussed.

Authors

• Beth M. Huebner, University of Missouri - St. Louis

• Joseph Schafer, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale

• Theodore Lentz, University of Missouri - St. Louis