Slay to call for tougher Metro security after wave of attacks
Mayor Francis Slay will join the city’s new acting police chief at City Hall today to call for tougher security at MetroLink stations. 
The push comes after a wave of assaults near the Delmar Loop, detailed in a story by Post-Dispatch transit scribe Ken Leiser, including one where a gang of at least 20 youths attacked a family at the Forest Park MetroLink station.
Alderman Lyda Krewson, whose ward includes the area around the park, has called the attacks “pretty unusual”; Blueberry Hill proprietor Joe Edwards has called them an “aberration.”
Slay, in a statement on his website, took a slightly different take, suggesting the perpetrators migrated in from the county.
“One of the many disturbing elements in the recent incidents is a report that throngs of badly intentioned youths from other municipalities have been walking across the city line from University City,” Slay writes, “and threatening customers and employees of stores and restaurants in the Loop’s eastern portion,” which is in St. Louis.
The city recently passed the century mark for the year in homicides; the last thing it needs now is seemingly random attacks at a major tourist destination.
Today’s 2 p.m. press conference will be the first joint public appearance between Slay and the department’s interim leader, Lt. Colonel Stephen Pollihan, who replaced the recently-retired Joe Mokwa.
I like how the mayor is shifting the crime problem in the city . to county boarder jumpers
Station a cop on foot at the Forest Park MetroLink station, especially after dark, and the problem there will be solved.
So the county is finally called out for it’s crime and lack of response. Boo hoo, we have crime like the city and can no longer point fingers from our lilly white suburbs.
An old practice since as long as I can remember, homeless guy - drive to city limits, drop off…re peat if needed. Same thing for punk kids…can’t arrest them, push into the city and blame them.
The county is good. The city is bad. Continue repeating this until we all feel better.
What about this - Metro actually makes sure people pay to use the train. That might limit jumpers or riders that are just riding for trouble. People pay, then hire security. I pay every time I use it, but nobody ever checks my tickets. Only going down the ramp after a game. And at the end of a game. Cause I left after 5 this week and no checking.
Amazing - this city can put up a brand new ballpark, find funding for that, build a new indoor football stadium in no time - but can’t keep a handle on crime and security issues - perhaps more money invested in the safety of our citizens and our police departments and less on ball fields and sporting venues would benefit everyone
I ride the Metrolink and the Bus 4 days a week and have never seen the activity that was shown on TV or reported here. Now the fact that I am seldom riding the bus or Metrolink at 11:30 PM might be the reason. Late night riders probably need to take extra precaution. I have only done it once coming home from the airport and I new my ride was waiting in a car at the other end. One thing to Note (unless the paper reported it incorrectly) the one attack was technically not on Metro property and therefore it was the Police’s responsibility. A blogger from the previous story on the attacks probably had it right. Give up the “honor system” of boarding Metro and go to a gated system like every where else. It may cost a lot to re-work the stations, but at least you could have better control.
The cops just need to start busting up these hoodlums, anyone how hangs out at the loop has been dealing with problem for some time but U-City cops just drive up and down and watch
The mayor IS being proactive. Before anyone could determine where the attackers were from, Hizzoner has declared they are from the county!
So, proactively, he has sidestepped the crisis.
Nice try Mr Slay. Justify why the problem is not yours. Maybe you can cut more police officers that way. The new chief and you can get the number of police under 1,000. We all know that people will go where the action is, and Mr. Slay the parties are on the loop. So if I had my guess, the thugs are probably a mix of county and city residents. If the city of St.Louis would let Metolink put up gates and get rid of the honor system it would help eliminate riders without tickets. And then a even a greater idea, punish criminals. Everyone knows St. Louis City Courts are more willing to drop or plea bargain charges on assault , possession of drugs, burglary, conceled weapons , etc. And dont act surprise, roving gangs have been a problem in the city for along time, just ask any who been to an event in St. Louis.
tired of it:
you’re right. The U City cops stuck their head in the sand and tried to act like the problem wasn’t there until the issues got out of control. Then the last few weekends they tried to “herd” the loitering teenagers out of the Loop, east on Delmar until they ended up in the city side.
The punks all ended up on Metrolink and that’s when things went from bad to worse.