Public safety concerns in the Sherman Academy Park neighborhood are often tied to the condition of the area’s vacant buildings, says Rhonda Jones, a former neighborhood association president. Abandoned structures have become gathering places for drug activity and can pose safety risks when they fall into disrepair, she said.
She knows firsthand what it’s like to be a property crime victim — her car has been stolen four times.
The St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office hopes a new initiative will help address concerns like Jones’ by building stronger connections between prosecutors and neighborhood residents.
The effort, called the Circuit Attorney’s Neighborhood Collaboration program, assigns attorneys to neighborhood associations so they can serve as direct points of contact for residents with questions about public safety, criminal cases and support for victims and witnesses. Prosecutors are expected to attend neighborhood meetings, explain how cases move through the justice system and help connect residents with resources.
Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore said the program was created to establish a deeper relationship with communities.
“The goal is to provide a direct, consistent point of contact so residents can better understand how cases move through the system and feel more connected to the work being done on their behalf.”
Jones said many of the safety concerns residents talk about stem from the number of abandoned properties scattered throughout the neighborhood.
“Vacant buildings are a big issue,” Jones said. “They’re falling apart, people are using them for drugs and sometimes they’re dangerous because of the condition they’re in.” She also said residents frequently hear gunshots in the area.
City data underscores the scale of the issue. According to the St. Louis Vacancy Map, which compiles information from the city’s Building Division and other sources, the combined Academy and Sherman Park area has more than 100 registered vacant buildings.
Research has repeatedly linked vacant properties to crime and neighborhood disorder. The December report “From Policy to Progress” found that abandoned structures often become sites of repeated break-ins, drug activity and other chronic public safety problems. The report also noted that the city spent about $9.25 million in 2024 responding to incidents tied to vacant properties, including roughly $7.4 million in police calls.
Even with those challenges, crime in the Academy neighborhood has been trending downward in recent months.
According to the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department’s Crime Tracker, total reported crime in the Academy neighborhood has fallen 12.3% compared with the same period last year. Data from the police department’s 2026 year-to-date homicide report shows the neighborhood had no homicides as of March 14.
The police department’s February monthly crime summary shows that while some property crimes such as motor vehicle theft have fluctuated, most other crime categories have remained stable or declined.
Citywide trends show a similar pattern. St. Louis recorded a 16% drop in crime last year and a 12-year low in homicides, according to year-end public safety briefings from the mayor’s office and the city’s Office of Violence Prevention.
For residents like Rufus Shannon, a longtime block captain for the 5000 block of Ridge Avenue, public safety is shaped as much by neighborhood conditions as by crime statistics.
“I, nor any of my neighbors, have mentioned the prosecutor’s office as a resolve or tool for neighborhood uplift,” Shannon said.
Shannon, who is also a member of the Area 5 Planning Committee, said residents often deal with quality-of-life issues tied to property neglect.
Reckless driving, speeding through residential streets, abandoned vehicles, trash and overgrown vacant lots are common concerns, he said. Cluttered alleys, deteriorating buildings and hangouts where people openly drink or use drugs can also affect residents’ sense of safety.
Despite those challenges, Shannon said the neighborhood — between Kingshighway and Union boulevards and from Dr. Martin Luther King Drive to Delmar Boulevard — has strong development potential.
“This area has the potential to be one of the most profitable in the city, especially in North St. Louis,” he said. “There are vacant lots, but we’re also close to major thoroughfares.”
Urban planning research suggests that improving property conditions can play an important role in public safety. Efforts to secure vacant buildings, remove debris and rehabilitate abandoned properties have been shown to reduce firearm violence and improve neighborhood stability.
Jones said that during her time leading the Sherman Academy Park neighborhood association, prosecutors rarely attended neighborhood meetings or communicated directly with residents.
“They weren’t a part of the meetings,” she said.
The Circuit Attorney’s Office began introducing the neighborhood collaboration program in Dutchtown and Mount Pleasant and plans to expand it to additional neighborhoods, including Sherman Park, the Shaw Neighborhood Ownership Model and Ellendale.
Gore said building trust with residents will require consistent engagement.
“Trust is built through consistency and transparency,” he said. “This program is about showing up, listening to residents, and maintaining open lines of communication over time.”
Jones said the program’s success will ultimately depend on whether that engagement continues.
“Our neighborhood needs consistency, structure and follow-through,” Jones said. “That would help our community become more successful.”