ST. LOUIS — Crime statistics took a turn for the better in the City of St. Louis last year.
According to new city data, homicides were down nearly 25%, dropping from 263 in 2020 to 195 homicides in 2021.
"We've seen a more holistic approach to St. Louis policing. People are going back to work,” said Dr. Kenya Brumfield-Young, an assistant professor of criminology and criminal justice at St. Louis University.
Dr. Brumfield-Young lives and breathes conversations about crime and what to do to combat it. She pointed out several factors that likely lend to that success and how they aligned with some of the advocacy her students want to see happen in the community.
"More programming. Upgrade or access to mental health care. Greater access to our education systems those are the drivers," she said.
St. Louis has some company with other major metropolitan areas, such as Detriot, but other cities like Houston, Philadelphia, and Chicago all saw increases.
Chief John Hayden with The St. Louis Metro Police Department told 5 On Your Side that the data could only be the beginning of cleaning up the streets.
He added that his team was constantly evaluating what is happening in communities in the area and how to address their needs and shared some of the initiatives the department put forth in 2021.
“We were arresting violent offenders, we were patrolling in the more violent areas. We are focusing on the most violent times of the day," Hayden said.
Chief Hayden added that the department partnered with violence interruption programs, beefed up behavioral health response, and implemented social workers riding in units with officers for the first time last year to provide support.
"I wish people could see the work that the social workers actually do on those scenes in calming families down so we can focus on investigating," he added.
Chief Hayden further noted that the people they strive to protect and serve have to chip in.
“Our work is only as good as the information that we can get," he said.
As of Monday, St. Louis police had responded to two homicides.
One occurred outside a gas station in South City on New Year's Day and the second at Jefferson and Gravois, on Monday afternoon.