Central West End Midtown Development, along with the CWE South and Southeast Special Business Districts, have joined forces with other neighborhood organizations to investigate new methods to combat crime in the Central West End.
The Central West End Neighborhood Security Initiative is designed to identify, facilitate and implement a comprehensive strategy to address security in the Central West End neighborhood. The pilot program, which began in October, will run for five months.
Developed by the Central West End Association’s Security Committee, the Initiative represents an innovative way to address crime problems. Six of the Special Business Districts located in the Central West End, along with Washington University Medical Center, Central West End Midtown Development and the Central West End Association, have contributed funding for the project. With that funding, the committee has hired a full-time director, Bob Heimberger.
Heimberger, a retired sergeant and 27 year veteran of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, is a nationally recognized authority on problem-oriented policing. Heimberger will be working closely with police, Hi-Tech Security, the Special Business Districts, residents and business owners to analyze and develop a response strategy for specific crime problems.
“We have all been frustrated with the insufficient impact our traditional approaches have yielded,” said Henry Edmonds, Chair of the Security Committee. “This Initiative provides a vehicle through which all parties can work in a coordinated fashion to accomplish more than any one could do on their own.”
Heimberger has been charged with conducting a detailed problem analysis, which will include understanding the events and conditions that precede and accompany a crime, identifying relevant data to be collected, narrowing the scope of the problem and tapping a variety of resources. During the five-month pilot program, Heimberger hopes to create a method of regular communication with residents and business owners about the progress of the Initiative.
“The Central West End neighborhood offers a unique opportunity for an aggressive problem-solving approach to address both real and perceived crime problems,” said Heimberger. “While crime statistics are unacceptably high in certain areas and types of crime, community engagement is very strong.”
Pete Rothschild, a member of the Central West End South Special Business District and member of the Security Committee, believes the Initiative is long in coming. “The CWE is one of the city’s premier neighborhoods,” he said. “If we want to remain that way we need to support this project and work together to build a safer neighborhood.”
The Central West End Association will administer the Initiative. At the conclusion of the five-month pilot period, the Committee will make a recommendation whether to continue the project.