Columbia News

Senator Eric Schmitt announced a series of initiatives aimed at strengthening the fight against violent crime in St. Louis through enhanced cooperation with federal agencies, according to posts made on August 20, 2025.

In his first post, Schmitt stated, "We're supercharging the FBI's violent crime-fighting capabilities. Expect increased multilateral joint agency ops with these new capacities. This builds on the great work already happening at the state level to reclaim our communities from criminals." (August 20, 2025).

He followed up by emphasizing the federal commitment under the current administration: "This is Step 1 in the Trump Admin's investment in restoring law and order in St. Louis. I'll keep working hand-in-hand with the FBI, state leaders, and local heroes to pile on more efforts. More resources, more coordination, more wins against the bad guys." (August 20, 2025).

In a formal statement posted shortly after, Schmitt wrote: "Today marks a new era of federal-state partnership for law & order in St. Louis. This FBI investment, paired with joint ops, builds on state efforts to reclaim our streets. It'll be felt for years." (August 20, 2025).

Federal investments targeting violent crime have been a focus of both local and national policymakers in recent years as cities like St. Louis continue to report higher-than-average rates of violence compared to national figures. The Trump administration has prioritized support for local law enforcement and collaboration between agencies as part of its public safety strategy.

The new measures referenced by Senator Schmitt are part of broader efforts to address persistent challenges faced by urban communities through resource allocation and coordinated operations between federal and state authorities.