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St. Louis neighborhood hires private security to combat crime

Published

2 years ago

May 23, 2023

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ST. LOUIS – A St. Louis neighborhood has come up with its own crime-fighting plan. FOX 2 obtained surveillance video from early Monday morning that shows the plan is working.

It was just before 2:00 a.m. A crew of criminals was working a block near Francis Park in the St. Louis Hills neighborhood. They were checking car door handles, looking for something to steal. The new crime initiative kept them from getting very far.

“We didn’t wake up. We didn’t even know about it until the next day,” said Tom Byrne, a resident.

A security camera on his house is part of a network on more than 130 homes and businesses that send alerts to a private-duty police officer hired by the neighborhood. The officer made two arrests in the first few months of the effort and disrupted multiple crimes in progress.

The suspects saw the flashing lights of the officer’s vehicle and left the neighborhood before they were able to check many cars.

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“The cameras send automatic alerts to a tablet that’s monitored, in our case, by a private duty officer,” said Tom Scheifler, a resident and neighborhood security chairman. “That officer reviewed this particular alert, saw that it was criminal activity, and responded immediately to this location. So, he kept them from going to the next block and the next block and the next block, which they typically do if there’s nothing to disrupt them.”

That disruption is almost as important as an arrest for Byrne. His car was stolen in November from the exact spot where the suspects were checking door handles Monday morning.

“What you get is a feeling of security. What you get is a feeling that while you sleep, nobody’s going to steal your car or take all the contents out of your car,” Byrne said. “I know (this) is going to work. I can see it working.”

The program helps supplement the city’s understaffed police department. Even if the department had full staffing, this program may prove invaluable to residents.

“With a security camera, we were able to identify and alert our officer on duty in seconds and have that officer respond,” Scheifler said. “The chances of doing that with a regular duty officer are very, very slim. It’s not paying twice for something that the city should provide. It’s a service above and beyond.”

Residents are asked to pay $15 a month. The program covers about 2,700 homes and businesses. It currently operates four days a week. More people need to contribute for it to be seven days a week.

“Other neighborhoods can do the same thing and take advantage of what we’ve learned,” Byrne said.

“I would encourage all of the neighborhoods in St. Louis City to be in contact with our neighborhood association,” Scheifler said.

The group is willing to help with system setup and exploring potential funding sources.

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Man attacks Jeff Co. deputy with screwdriver during attempted arrest

Published

2 years ago

July 11, 2023

Natural Bridge

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JEFFERSON COUNTY, Mo. – Two people are behind bars after a man reportedly attacked a Jefferson County deputy with a screwdriver during an attempted arrest over the weekend.

Prosecutors have charged Nicholas Davis, 47, and Amanda Davis, 45, of Dittmer, Missouri, with felonies in the investigation.

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The alleged attack followed a traffic stop of a driver in the 9500 block of Jones Creek Road on July 7, though the driver was not Nicholas or Amanda.

According to court documents obtained by FOX 2, Nicholas reportedly came out of his nearby home, yelled at a deputy and started approaching him while holding a screwdriver. The deputy initially ordered Nicholas to back away, then used pepper spray.

Per court documents, the deputy attempted to arrest Nicholas, who then struck him in the chest with the screwdriver. Amanda reportedly approached the deputy and pulled him away from Nicholas before both ran inside their home.

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office says the situation prompted an hours-long standoff involving negotiators, a SWAT team and a K-9 deputy. The situation led to Nicholas refusing warnings and being bitten by a K-9.

Nicholas and Amanda are both jailed in the Jefferson County Jail without bond. Nicholas is charged with first-degree assault on a special victim and armed criminal action. Amanda is charged with resisting/interfering with arrest.

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St. Louis Public Schools superintendent to be sworn in

Published

2 years ago

July 11, 2023

Natural Bridge

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ST. LOUIS — The new St. Louis schools superintendent will be officially sworn into office today. Dr. Keisha Scarlett took over the job in July after the retirement of Dr. Kelvin Adams. She was assistant superintendent in the Seattle Public School District. The installation ceremony is at 6:15 p.m. before the regular school board meeting.

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Gas tanker crashes into St. Louis Metro transit center

Published

2 years ago

July 11, 2023

Natural Bridge

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ST. LOUIS — A gasoline tanker truck crashed into a Metro transit center near Riverview and Hall Streets early Tuesday morning and knocked over a power pole. The pole is leaning on other power lines. Police have the area blocked off here because there is a downed power line. Ameren and Metro crews are also on the scene.

The incident happened around 12:30 a.m. It’s still unclear exactly what caused the crash, but we do that there was a second vehicle somehow involved. The airbags on that second vehicle did deploy.

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Police at the scene have not been able to give us a lot of details. Metro officials tell FOX 2 that the transit center here is operating this morning for passengers and buses. Access to certain areas will be limited here as clean up unfolds.

A Metro spokesperson says half of the station isn’t being used right now because of safety issues. It isn’t impacting overall bus operations, everything is just happening on the other side of transit center.

The extent of the damage to the actual transit center is still unclear, but I’m told it does not appear to be extreme. A Metro spokesperson tells me there were no injuries to any metro workers or passengers. The tanker driver also was not injured.

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