Madison County is a great place to live and visit, blessed with a tremendous number of assets and resources. And while our wonderful communities attract thousands of visitors and tourists, law enforcement officials from across our county are united in their concerns that our interstate and highway system also enables an unwelcome reality: cross-river crime.
Citizens, businesses, and police officers know this all too well, but a few examples over the past few months drive home the tragic point. In late December, two Missouri residents were arrested after committing an armed robbery at the Glen Carbon Walmart. In January, the Metro East was horrified by the tragic death of Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville student Moneer Damra. Two Missouri residents were charged in this shooting just off the SIUE campus. In February, a Missouri man was charged in a fatal Alton shooting. And two weeks ago a St. Louis man was convicted of committing a murder in Granite City.
Law enforcement leaders across our county are reporting to me that cross-river crime is growing worse. It is not hard to see why. Just across the river St. Louis, which has long had one of the highest rates of violent crime in the county, is undergoing a spiral of new violence. We believe St. Louis’s crime wave is spilling over into surrounding communities, and for Madison County, that means via bridges and highways. Madison County’s law enforcement community is committed to making every effort within the law to fight this problem. Now is the time to redouble our efforts to prevent St. Louis problems from becoming Madison County violence.
The Cross-River Crime Task Force represents the next level in our united effort to fight this problem and protect our communities. As the task force convenes for its second full meeting this week, we have made significant progress and are moving toward implementing a charter for the organization, as well as a phased implementation plan.
First, if accepted by the members, our proposed charter will set up a legal structure for local law enforcement agencies to join together and operate the task force, united behind a commander and several deputy commanders. As proposed, the commander will be appointed jointly by the state’s attorney and sheriff to a one-year term with the concurrence of current Task Force members.
Then the task force will swing into action and begin to make a difference.
Phase one will begin in June. It will generally involve monthly proactive patrols of the county using existing license plate reader (LPR) networks, collecting and analyzing crime data, and conducting an inventory of assets and resources that can be used to counteract cross-river crime. The task force will then have the tools to use historical and current data to identify real-time crime changes in the county so law enforcement can respond accordingly. Utilizing existing resources and creating greater communication between law enforcement agencies will be a strong focus in phase one.
Phase two will feature the implementation of a broader and more extensive license plate reader network. These assets have proven to be key tools in the fight against crime along roadways, but have only had a limited deployment. If constructed, this new broader network will be exponentially more powerful, and will help identify individuals with existing warrants and analyze the flow of crime not only into but throughout the county. It will also be a vital tool with Amber Alerts aiding in locating missing children and Silver Alerts helping in finding missing senior adults. Further, the crime-flow data this LPR network will create will enable the task force to use ever-better tactics to counteract criminals. (And to be clear: these license plate readers are not red-light cameras, and will not be used to issue traffic citations).
And of course, there will be no tolerance for racial profiling or discrimination within this effort. Enforcing the law fairly and aggressively helps deter criminals, and so makes everyone’s neighborhood safer and advances justice for all. Every Madison County community deserves to be safe. That is our goal.
Law enforcement leaders and Madison County residents have been open regarding their concerns about cross-river crime. We are eager to get started on this important new effort. As state’s attorney, I intend to use all the resources available to make sure that those who bring crime and violence to our communities will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.