President Reed requests City to deploy 'Ceasefire Project'

Today, Board of Aldermen President Lewis Reed made a formal request of the Executive Branch and the Public Safety Department to work with the Department of Justice to implement the Ceasefire Program, also known as Group Violence Intervention. 

“Yesterday, I woke up to the headline, ‘Violent crime increases by 7 percent in St. Louis between 2016 and 2017’ these types of headlines are far too common in our City. Enough is enough,” said Reed.

The Ceasefire Project method has been proven effective in drastically reducing the crime rate. In Boston, it decreased youth gun-related crimes by 60 percent in one year. According to the Department of Justice, focused deterrence is proven to be the most effective way to reduce gun violence related crimes in youth.

“The Ceasefire Project focuses on the people behind the guns. We know that there is a small group of people responsible for many of the murders in our City. We need to work with law enforcement, neighborhoods, our universities, our elementary schools, business community, clergy and nonprofit to identify them and put an end to this violence,” said Reed.

The Ceasefire Project brings problem-solving policing to a new level. It is a joint partnership between academia, nonprofit, clergy, business leaders, city services, the police and more all working together to reduce crime.

President Reed also announced that he will be meeting with Missouri Governor Mike Parson to discuss supporting these measures on Thursday.

“We can do this in St. Louis. We can reduce crime. We need to invest now. Our youth are at risk. We are in a crisis,” said Reed.