ST. LOUIS – St. Louis County police is involved with the gateway regional criminal interdiction task force, which is part of governor Mike Kehoe’s Safer Missouri Anti-crime Plan.

This force builds on a model that helped cut auto thefts in St. Charles County by 44% and thefts from vehicles by 57%.

Residents across the region say they’ve seen firsthand why stronger efforts like this are needed.

“I do have one past experience. So one of my friends who is staying nearby. His car is robbed. And someone took (the vehicle) out and they found it downtown,” said St. Louis County resident Venkat K. “And by the time they found it, the car didn’t have the wheels and the doors were broken.”

Police leaders credit technology, intelligence sharing and teamwork for the dramatic crime drops they’ve seen. 

They say the same approach will now be used across St. Louis County.

“We utilize a lot of technology. We utilize license plate readers. We have a Missouri State Highway Patrol that utilizes aircraft that helps us. We utilize a lot of intel sharing. Basically the collaborative effort of everybody pulling all these resources coming together trying to address the problem as a whole has really been the success,” said Chief Chris DiGiuseppi of the Lake Saint Louis Police Department.

Over 10 departments are teaming up, along with air support, K-9 units, and tactical medics. OFFICIALS HOPE TO MIRROR SUCCESSES LIKE THE 61% DROP IN OVERDOSE DEATHS SEEN IN OTHER PARTS OF THE REGION.

Community feedback is mixed. Some support the extra safety measures but stress the need for fairness.

“Overall I do believe this is a good thing as long as it not targeted to specific groups of people or races of people. But if it’s implemented to help everybody, then I think it’s a good thing,” said St. Louis County resident Kelley McClay.

Others say with rising crime, stronger enforcement can’t come soon enough.

“I’d say that is a good thing because the crime rate is pretty damaging right now. I’ve seen some things and we need it,” said St. Louis County resident Anthony Burgess.

The task force will launch with uniformed patrols, march units and tech teams — all aiming to push crime rates even lower across St. Louis County.

Police chiefs say by uniting departments and sharing resources, they hope to drive crime down across the region together.