Press "Enter" to skip to content

Evans, Dueker take a look at St. Louis crime

For the first time in four years, the Cardinals’ postseason show is back. But before host Scott Faughn and Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt dove into their predictions, This Week in Missouri Politics is all about politics.

On the panel, Missouri Republican Party Executive Director Jean Evans and attorney Jane Dueker talked crime in St. Louis, among other topics. 

“Missouri, in general, has more crime, percentage-wise, than the rest of the country. So we are seeing overall crime throughout the country is going down but not here in Missouri,” said Evans.

Last week marked the official launch of Republican Gov. Mike Parson’s plan to combat violent crime in the region. The same week, St. Louis elected officials passed the Cure Violence plan.

To Evans, Parson stepping in “takes political courage” and puts much-needed boots on the ground.  

“Freeing up some more police officers, because you don’t go in and rob a bank when there is a cop car outside,” Evans said. 

Dueker noted the police officers “are grateful for any sort of help.”

But, that is just one step to addressing the issue, she said.

“I think you have to do a multifaceted approach, and I’m not exactly seeing that yet. The bottom line is the most dangerous people have to be taken off the streets,” Dueker said. “You have to have a short-term solution, a medium-term solution, and a long-term solution. The short-term solution has to be to get the most dangerous people off the streets. Ten percent of the people are committing 90 percent of the crime. … We need, one, to get them off the street, and then we need someone who will actually prosecute them to keep them in.”

Tune in for the whole show as guests discuss an impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump, the special election in HD 99, and protections for pregnant women in prison.