On September 27, the Safety & Security Committee hosted a town hall meeting to address the current state of safety on the Hill. During the meeting, participants heard up-to-date neighborhood crime data, learned about on-going safety initiatives in the neighborhood, and discussed projects underway in three nearby communities. Matt Devoti moderated the discussion.
The crime data was provided by Officer Robert Skaggs. Officer Skaggs is District 2’s liaison officer assigned to the Hill. Data provided by the officer shows criminal activity down 26% year to date from last year. That presentation was followed by a discussion of various initiatives implemented by the Committee in the past three years. Those programs include The Good Neighbor Program and Crime Victim Response initiatives. The group also heard specific information about taxing districts established in St. Louis Hills, Holly Hills, and the Grove neighborhoods and how those districts are funded.
Participants then discussed security options, including maintaining the status quo, the initiation of a voluntary program to support supplement security officers, and the formation of a taxing district. The discussion included data obtained from three security agencies that supply off-duty officers for patrolling. That information included variables affecting cost, such as the days and times when private security would be used, cost per officer-manhour, and the Hill’s recent crime data.
The Committee asked for community feedback at the meeting’s conclusion. Residents were asked to tell the Committee “What would you be willing to do?” Responses are still being solicited. Comments, questions, and concerns may be sent to: safety@hill2000stl.org and mattdevoti@hill2000stl.org.
Interested in working to make our community more secure? Consider serving as a block captain. There are more than 100 blocks on the Hill, all of which need a captain. We now have block captains serving about half of those blocks.
Studies show that neighborhoods with vigorous block captain programs tend to be more secure. In our community, block captains serve as communicators and facilitators of neighborhood events. The captains meet once a quarter at the Neighborhood Center. All are welcome. Contact blockcaptains@hill2000stl.org for more information.
