St. Louis Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore is taking his prosecutors out of the courthouse and into the city’s neighborhoods in an effort to rebuild trust, support victims and get a tighter grip on crime. The Circuit Attorney’s Neighborhood Collaboration program is already up and running in Dutchtown and Mount Pleasant, with Academy, Sherman Park, Shaw and Ellendale next in line.
The office rolled out the initiative in a March 9 news release, explaining that Assistant Circuit Attorneys will be assigned to neighborhood associations as steady, recognizable points of contact for residents. Their jobs include helping victims, working with witnesses and offering more visibility into how cases move through the system, a strategy the office describes as a way to strengthen neighborhood partnerships and speed local responses to crime. Neighborhood associations that want in were told to contact Leann J. Mosby, director of community engagement, according to the Circuit Attorney’s Office.
Gore told First Alert Forward that after spending the past two years rebuilding staff and working through a backlog of inherited cases, his team is now in a position to step more fully into the community. Residents, he said, will have someone they can call directly to ask what is happening with investigations, arrests and charges and expect a timely, straightforward answer. He added that the program is designed to make it easier for witnesses to come forward by showing them they have visible support in their own neighborhoods.
The push comes after a turbulent chapter for the Circuit Attorney’s Office, including a state audit and other controversies that left the office shorthanded and under intense scrutiny. Gov. Mike Parson tapped Gore to finish the previous term before he later won a full term in his own right, St. Louis Public Radio reported. Supporters say placing prosecutors directly in neighborhoods is one way to show that the office has stabilized and is responding to what residents say they need from the justice system.
How the Program Works
Under the new setup, Assistant Circuit Attorneys will attend neighborhood association meetings, act as a consistent point of contact for public safety concerns and help coordinate evidence such as footage from registered private cameras with police and victim services. The office said ACAs will support victims and witnesses and, when possible, report back to neighborhood groups about arrests and charges to increase transparency, according to the Circuit Attorney’s Office.
Residents in Shaw and other neighborhoods told First Alert they are glad to have that kind of access. Shaw neighborhood president David Aubrey said having a prosecutor directly connected to the neighborhood should help move investigations along by giving residents a reliable place to submit video and other evidence, while longtime resident Sue Rainey said the effort will only matter if those tips actually lead to prosecutions. Acknowledging that witness safety is a serious concern, Gore told First Alert Forward that strong neighborhood backing can help discourage retaliation and encourage people to cooperate with prosecutions.
Gore said he will be watching two main measures of success: whether neighborhoods become safer and whether residents feel more confident about public safety. His long-term goal is to have an Assistant Circuit Attorney serving as a liaison for every neighborhood in the city. For now, neighborhood associations that want to be considered for the program have been asked to contact the Circuit Attorney’s community engagement office to discuss next steps.
