“font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px;”>St. Louis Police Chief Daniel Isom wants what all police chiefs everywhere want – more funding for more officers on the street. “We need to get more people out on the streets – that’s logical – that gives you a better chance of reducing crime,” Isom told
“mso-bidi-font-style: normal;”>The American
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;” lang=”EN-US” xml:lang= “EN-US”>However, he made this elementary point after going through a long list of other initiatives that he thinks would reduce violent crime in St. Louis and drive down the city’s homicide rate (144 murders in 2010), which is highest by far among African-American males.
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;” lang=”EN-US” xml:lang= “EN-US”>The most important suggestion on the chief’s list might come as a surprise to hardened crimewatchers: early childhood education.
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;” lang=”EN-US” xml:lang= “EN-US”>“I keep pointing out that we can’t arrest our way out of the situation. We have to change the hearts and minds of young African Americans,” Isom told
“mso-bidi-font-style: normal;”>The American
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;” lang=”EN-US” xml:lang= “EN-US”>“Certainly we can arrest our way down to a level lower than 144 homicides a year, but what is more important is the education of individuals in a way that makes them able to make good, rational choices and become successful members of society. I don’t see any other long-term way out of this. We need to educate people better and give them an opportunity, give them a stake in the society.”
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;” lang=”EN-US” xml:lang= “EN-US”>Asked, specifically, if he was calling for a greater emphasis on early childhood education, Isom said, “No doubt in my mind, that is the solution. It just is.”
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;” lang=”EN-US” xml:lang= “EN-US”>The chief elaborated.
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;” lang=”EN-US” xml:lang= “EN-US”>“We need to have young people start at an early age – five, four, I don’t think we can start early enough – and provide mandatory education for young people. There are so many other obstacles they need to overcome, so our young people need to start early,” Isom said.
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;” lang=”EN-US” xml:lang= “EN-US”>“I believe that if we have the tools to compete, no matter what color you are, we can do it. But many young people are not given the tools to compete as adults. So much focus is placed on adults and their problems. But all adults start as children. If we are not preparing our children, how can we expect adults to be able to compete?” “font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px;”>
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“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;” lang=”EN-US” xml:lang= “EN-US”>‘Who to incarcerate’ “font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px;”>
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;” lang=”EN-US” xml:lang= “EN-US”>Isom is not simply passing the buck to educators and the legislators who approve funding for them. He has a Ph.D. in criminology from the nationally ranked program at the University of Missouri – St. Louis and is working on many crime-fighting strategies of the sort typically associated with police chiefs.
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;” lang=”EN-US” xml:lang= “EN-US”>A data wonk, Isom closely studies crime patterns by district and neighborhood and targets high-crime areas with rapid-response teams.
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;” lang=”EN-US” xml:lang= “EN-US”>“One thing that we are going to continue to do is look at trends in neighborhoods and identify quickly and move resources to that area,” Isom said.
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;” lang=”EN-US” xml:lang= “EN-US”>“We gather information from police reports and confidential informants and try to make sure we are attacking issues in the particularly violent neighborhoods strategically. One avenue is rapid response and attempting to prevent crimes, and also dealing with retaliatory shootings.”
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;” lang=”EN-US” xml:lang= “EN-US”>Isom repeatedly has called attention to the problem of repeat offenders – “the same people who commit the majority of the crimes” – and is working with prosecutors, judges and parole officers to make sure they are concentrating their limited resources on the most dangerous criminals.
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;” lang=”EN-US” xml:lang= “EN-US”>“Often the information about who causes the most problems in the neighborhood gets conveyed to the prosecutor, but what often doesn’t happen is the officer doesn’t get wrapped into the sentencing portion,” Isom said.
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;” lang=”EN-US” xml:lang= “EN-US”>“We are not looking for low-level persons who commit minor crimes to go to jail. We do want input in the sentencing phase so the people we know are very dangerous should be removed from the streets. Often people in the neighborhood are too afraid, so we have to be the one to do that.”
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;” lang=”EN-US” xml:lang= “EN-US”>In 2011, he intends to tighten the department’s working relationship with the judges who weigh these cases.
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;” lang=”EN-US” xml:lang= “EN-US”>“I have had an initial meeting already with an administrative judge on how to make sure we get information that judges need at sentencing to make sure we are putting the right people in jail,” Isom said.
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;” lang=”EN-US” xml:lang= “EN-US”>“We have a very strong relationship with the probation and parole portion, but at sentencing I don’t think information gets to judges to make the right decision about who to incarcerate.”
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;” lang=”EN-US” xml:lang= “EN-US”>Isom has one specific suggestion for sentencing.
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;” lang=”EN-US” xml:lang= “EN-US”>“We are pushing for restricting suspended imposition of sentences for people with gun charges,” Isom said.
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;” lang=”EN-US” xml:lang= “EN-US”>“We find because Missouri legislation is so lax on carrying weapons, virtually anyone who is law-abiding can carry a weapon, so most people carrying a weapon illegally are involved in criminal activity. People caught with a gun illegally, 66 percent of the time they are engaged in violent activity.” “font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px;”>
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“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;” lang=”EN-US” xml:lang= “EN-US”>‘Grass-roots approach’ “font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px;”>
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;” lang=”EN-US” xml:lang= “EN-US”>Isom also emphasized that the community has an important role to play in reducing crime by giving direction to local youth. This leads back to his keynote: educate them when they are young.
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;” lang=”EN-US” xml:lang= “EN-US”>“I think what Better Family Life and James Clark are doing, going door to door with a hands-on, grass-roots approach, is doing a tremendous job in reaching out on a personal level. That points in the right direction,” Isom said.
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;” lang=”EN-US” xml:lang= “EN-US”>“What we’ve got to do is start much earlier than that. There has to be much more resources put into efforts starting at a very early age, in North St. Louis and throughout the community, to give young people the ability to compete in the long-term.”
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;” lang=”EN-US” xml:lang= “EN-US”>And that is why this police chief, while fighting for his own budget, also lobbies for spending on early childhood education.
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;” lang=”EN-US” xml:lang= “EN-US”>“We should put more money and legislation into compulsory education for pre-schoolers. We’ve got to invest more in the lives young people and in wrap-around services for schools to provide help,” Isom said.
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;” lang=”EN-US” xml:lang= “EN-US”>“I can’t think anything but so much wasted potential in those individuals who have died. And not just those who have died, but so many young African Americans connected to the criminal justice system. It really inhibits the opportunity they have for success. It saddens and maddens me to see these numbers.”
