Tagged: violence

At a community forum in north St. Louis County Monday night, elected officials, law enforcement and educators discussed ways to curb youth violence.   In short, speakers said tackling the problem will require a collective effort and include everything from affordable housing to job creation.

Even though the root causes of violence are often complex, Lt. Colonial Ken Gregory of the St. Louis County Police said fostering healthy families is where the solution starts.

“We don’t have that working for us then we have nothing,” Gregory said. 

Updated at 12:45 Thursday, Feb. 7 with arrest numbers.

The St. Louis Police Department is deploying 80 extra officers and resources to north city’s College Hill neighborhood.

The area, which borders O’Fallon Park to the west and Interstate 70 to the north, has been the site of a number of shootings recently, including three murders.

St. Louis Police Chief Sam Dotson says the department is used to this kind of “hot-spot policing,” and says the tactic has been used to great effect in other parts of the city.