Public Safety
RBC’s top policy priority is public safety because it is fundamental to improving quality of life, talent retention, and growing our region’s economy. We believe that increasing the safety of all in our region requires a threefold approach:
Enforcement
Support law enforcement by providing private sector collaboration, expertise, resources, and connections.
Prevention
Promote job creation for at-risk youth and justice-involved individuals, investments in mental health and drug treatment, and initiatives that reduce gun violence.
Intervention
Advocate for policies and programs that disrupt impending incidents of gun violence and crime and lead regional neighborhood revitalization initiatives in high-crime areas.
To help achieve our common goal, we invest in organizations and programs such as the St. Louis Police Foundation to support increased communication between the City and County Police Departments; invest in the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis’ Save Our Son’s and Sister’s Program and Serving our Streets, which are aimed at decreasing gun violence and increasing access to resources and jobs; and champion Bi-State’s Secure Platforms Plan to increase safety on public transit.
Public Safety Initiatives
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The RBC helped put together over $1M to launch the Anti-Violence Crime Initiative in Downtown St. Louis. These funds supported the staffing of additional police officers equipped with patrol vehicles. The initiative has been so effective in reducing assaults and other crime in downtown St. Louis that Chief Tracy has requested our help to continue this project through August of 2024, which will give him time to graduate more officers from the academy and add them to the 4th District.
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Clean Up, Build Up, is a multi-year partnership with the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis to revitalize North St. Louis City’s most challenged neighborhoods. Learn more
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The RBC believes public transit is the key to a thriving region and has contributed over $1M to support the MetroLink’s state-of-the-art security plan in order to promote ridership in the region. Learn More
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The Regional Business Council has elected to the Save Lives Now! violence reduction efforts. Save Lives Now! is a new regional initiative led by the East-West Gateway Coordinating Council. It’s designed to reduce violent street crime by 20% over three years with a three-pronged approach: focused deterrence, cognitive behavioral theory, and street outreach. Learn More
