The police chief of St. Louis, Sam Dotson, recently made a decision to drop out of the mayoral race. Upon entering the race, Dotson was rebuked by Mayor Francis Slay, and because of that, he is now willing to direct his focus again towards fighting crime, just as the mayor advised. He was planning to announce his candidacy after the presidential election, however, the mayor publicly made an announcement, calling him out.
An article by riverfronttimes.com states that “Dotson said the mayor's statement forced his hand, and he decided to announce early. He spent the following weeks defending his candidacy from rivals, including Alderman Antonio French, who insisted Dotson couldn't both run a campaign and effectively police the city. French is also running for mayor.”
Dotson said “After giving this a great deal of thought, I decided I could best serve my city by staying on as chief, and not running for mayor,” he said. “Crime is the number one issue in our city. To combat it, we need less politics, not more.”
Additionally, the article reports that “Dotson said Slay has urged him to work to stop violent crime.”
“Instead of running for mayor, Mayor Slay urged me to focus on working with him to unite our city around a comprehensive plan to reduce the violence that is so corrosive to our city,” Dotson said. “This morning I told him I would.”
To read more go to riverfronttimes.com.
With the numerous violent crimes committed in St. Louis, Mayor Slay probably cannot afford to lose one reliable police officer over a mayoral candidacy. With the lack of trusted crime-busting officials in St. Louis, there are already reports about homeowners trying to defend themselves from criminals. This is happening more and more around the St. Louis metropolitan area such as the case of a suspected car thief shot dead by the homeowner, reported by stltoday.com.
At about 1 a.m., Shawn Jimenez, 31, of Lake Saint Louis, is said to have tried stealing a homeowner's 2009 Volkswagen Passat, where he was eventually found dead. The unnamed homeowner sustained no injuries. According to Chris DiGiuseppi's account, he received a 911 call from a townhouse owner on Monterey Cyprus Drive at 12:51 a.m.
To be more specific, basing on DiGiuseppi's account, the article states that “At 12:51 a.m., a resident of a townhouse on Monterey Cyprus Drive called 911. He had heard his car alarm and went outside to confront a man trying to steal the car. He called to tell police shots had been fired and he needed assistance.”
Additionally, according to the report, “When officers arrived, they found the Passat about a block away, on Quail Meadows Court, where it had struck a home. In the driver’s seat was a man who had been shot. He died at the scene. Officials did not say if he was armed.”
The article also stated that the police are “investigating to determine whether the shooting was justified” and that police are also looking into “how the suspect got there and whether anyone else was involved, DiGiuseppi said.”
For a place in need of very urgent help when it comes to fighting violent crimes, Dotson is right when he said that St Louis needed less politics and more effective and dedicated policing. Citizens need to be able live their lives knowing they are safe and protected, instead of having to protect and defend themselves.
Featured image credit:Riverfronttimes.com
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