Schmitt Backs Dropping STL Residency Requirement for Police and Making Carjacking a State Crime
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt is backing legislative efforts to make carjacking a state crime and to lift the requirement that some St. Louis police officers live in the city.
“We are offering two solutions to two problems we know exist,” Schmitt, a Republican, said Tuesday at a news conference in St. Louis. “We need tougher sentencing for carjackings. And we have a police officer shortage. So let’s open up the talent base.”
The two initiatives are part of Schmitt’s broader focus on violent crime in St. Louis, Kansas City and Springfield, which he said holds back investment in the state. He again touted the success of his Safer Streets initiative, which has attorneys in his office serving as special federal prosecutors to boost the number of cases that can be tried.
“But we cannot stop there. We must do more,” he said. “We are at a tipping point. We have to decide whether we are going to ignore the problems that are plaguing our communities, or if we want to tackle them head-on, challenge the old ways of doing things, and actually do the things we know need to be done.”
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