The City of St. Louis is getting an infusion of federal law enforcement — 50 federal investigators from the Department of Homeland Security and $1 million from the Bureau of Justice — to help combat violent crime, as well as two special United States attorneys from the Missouri Attorney General’s Office to support violent crime prosecution.
To the person elected to prosecute crime in the city, Circuit Attorney Kimberly Gardner, this is good news and bad news.
First, the good news.
“We welcome any partnership with the U.S. Attorney that will strengthen our efforts to make the City of St. Louis safer and more just,” Gardner said in a statement.
“This includes collaboration with my office to prosecute individual drivers of crime. In addition, we have identified violence interruption programs, trauma care, mental health services, job training, and education as places where additional resources would make a difference. Federal law enforcement working together to help the Saint Louis Metropolitan Police Department investigate and clear the most serious crimes in this community like homicides, which largely remain unsolved, would benefit all in our community.”
Then the bad news.
“I am, however, concerned about bringing more federal agents to the City of St. Louis given their recent behavior in Portland, Oregon, where officers stopped people without probable cause and interrupted peaceful protestors without warning,” Gardner said. “My office will hold law enforcement agencies accountable if they violate the rights of people who live in our community.”
The federal intervention in St. Louis is part of Operation Legend, which is named in honor of four-year-old LeGend Taliferro, who was shot and killed while he slept on June 29 in Kansas City. The operation was first launched on July 8 in Kansas City and is now underway in Chicago, Albuquerque, Cleveland, Detroit, and Milwaukee. It was expanded to St. Louis and Memphis on Thursday, August 6.
U.S. Rep. Wm. Lacy Clay responded with the same mixture of encouragement and concern expressed by Gardner.
“While I welcome additional funding from the Department of Justice to help St. Louis fight violent crime, federal law enforcement officers must not infringe on the rights of non-violent citizens in my community as was seen repeatedly in Portland, Oregon,” Clay said in a statement.
“Excessive force will not make St. Louis safer. Changing the culture of policing and restoring the trust of the community with local law enforcement will.”
St. Louis is currently experiencing a significant increase in violent crime, with homicides up over 34% and non-fatal shootings up over 13% compared to last year.
U.S. Attorney Jeff Jensen said, “Our children are being caught in the crossfire and murdered in senseless acts of gun violence.”
FBI Special Agent in Charge Richard Quinn also announced a reward of up to $25,000 would be made available for information leading to the identification and arrest of the individual or individuals responsible for the homicides of Kayden E. Johnson, two years of age at the time, and his mother Trina’ty A. Riley, 18, inside their home on April 30, 2019.
“I just need closure. My family needs peace. We just want justice,” said Taiesha Campbell, mother of Trina’ty and grandmother of Kayden.
“If you know anything, please contact the detectives.”
If you have information relevant to a violent crime, call Crime Stoppers 866-371-8177.
