Kansas City Mayor Sly James welcomed St. Louis law enforcement officials, in town today to learn about Kansas City’s No Violence Alliance.
St. Louis law enforcement officials – fighting big increases in homicides – met today with counterparts in Kansas City, where homicides declined last year to the lowest level since 1972.
Officials from both cities than spoke with media at the downtown police headquarters.
St. Louis intends to take the Kansas City No Violence Alliance model across the state.
NoVA is credited with a major role in reducing homicides last year to 79, less than half of the 159 in St. Louis.
Both cities have historically ranked among leading cities in homicide rates.
Jennifer Joyce, St. Louis circuit attorney, said today they will try NoVA’s focused deterrence approach, which she called a great strategy.
One reason it works, Joyce said, is police identify people who are committing and driving the crime and warn them there will be sure consequences for violence.
NoVA uses arrest sweeps but the coalition of law enforcement, community, academics and social service providers also helps people escape crime.
Major Joe McHale, manager of NoVA, they have identified about 66 different groups, about 900 people associated with violence and homicide. They have about 145 of those people engaged in social service or other programs that hopefully will separate them from crime, he said. “That’s a huge win for us.”
Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker said that collaboration and partnerships are key in how NoVA functions.
She also said there are no quick and easy fixes and the fight will be long term: “Each of our cities here are talking about decades worth of high violence.”
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