City Leaders Listen To New Crime Fighting Tool | News

A new idea sweeping through St. Louis may be the end to that dreaded 'America`s Most Dangerous City' label.  It`s a movement called the Neighborhood Ownership Model, and it is spreading to neighborhoods north and south.

The plan has a very basic premise:  police can`t go it alone, so it`s up to residents to help.  The idea was born in Lafayette Square, which was the 27th safest of 79 neighborhoods in St. Louis in 2009.  Now it`s the 9th safest.   Monday night, people in north city said they want in, too. 

Mike Petetit is the man who created the model in Lafayette Square.  He drew a crowd in the Northpoint neighborhood, in the area of Goodfellow and West Florissant. 

'We don`t have a lot of options,' he said.  'We can lock our door, shut our blinds, and move.  Or we can get involved.'

Northpoint residents began implementing Petetit`s plan a couple months ago, to bringing back neighborhoods, after crime began escalating.

'My neighbor was robbed in his driveway.  In his driveway!' said an enraged Rechell Hatley.  'I mean, that`s his home!  I knew then that something`s got to be done.'

Hatley is on board.  She is part of the committee implementing the Neighborhood Ownership Model.  About half a dozen other neighborhoods have already put the plan in place, from Bevo Mill and Dutchtown to Penrose and O`Fallon.

Some of the city`s top brass were at the Monday night meeting, explaining how it works, and hoping to recruit other neighborhoods.  The mayor, police chief, president of the board of aldermen, and circuit attorney said this plan seems to be working because it`s not something government thought up.

'I`ve been a prosecutor for almost 18 years and I`ve never seen such a grassroots movement that`s so effective against crime,' said St. Louis Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce.

'This is organic, it came from the citizens.  They developed it and gave it to us.'

Joyce said it`s working because it`s using a lot of different strategies.  Petetit suggests each neighborhood tailor it for their own needs, but it involves everything from voluntary community patrols, to specific police officers working solely in the targeted neighborhoods, to prosecutors working with residents to get them to testify against criminals.

'As a prosecutor there`s nothing more frustrating to me, and time and time again it happens, that we have cases we can`t prosecute because a citizen won`t get involved, either a witness or a victim,' said Joyce.  'It`s the number one reason we can`t hold criminals accountable.  So when we have a movement like this:  grassroots, getting more citizens involved, I think it`s going to have a great impact on crime in this city.'

Police Chief Dan Isom said this model is proof that government works better when people are involved in the process.

'They`ve brought us along,' he said of the organizers.  'They brought the criminal justice program along.  That is more powerful than any program we can bring to the citizens.'

Some neighborhoods have obtained orders of protection against criminals, meaning that person, once convicted, is not to enter the neighborhood again.

Hatley is now writing letters for Northpoint crime victims, getting neighbors to sign them, and delivering them to the courthouse, asking judges to ban criminals from her streets.

'If a crime has been committed in this neighborhood, we don`t want that individual back in our neighborhood,' she told the crowd.  'We don`t.'  To that, one person even said, 'Amen.'

'I`m going to stand up for my neighborhood,' Hatley said.  'I grew up in this neighborhood.  I love living here.  I love it.'