A newly expanded law enforcement task force, comprising 20 agencies from St. Charles and St. Louis counties, carried out its first significant cooperative enforcement operation, resulting in over 40 arrests and the recovery of stolen vehicles and firearms.
Organizers saw the Gateway Regional Criminal Interdiction Task Force’s initial success as a significant step forward in regional law enforcement cooperation.
In a 12-hour timeframe, the operation resulted in 49 arrests and the clearing of 75 active warrants. More than 140 cops participated in the two-day operation, which focused on a variety of criminal activities.
Kurt Frisz, Chief of St. Charles County Police, detailed the concept behind the large-scale operation.
“There’s a briefing beforehand where we deploy officers to certain areas along the highways, subdivisions, and business districts where there have been problems or we anticipate there’s going to be problems,” according to him.
The task force’s expansion is part of Governor Mike Kehoe’s “Safer Missouri” anti-crime strategy, which focuses on a coordinated regional approach to public safety.
“A lot of our crime knows no boundaries,” Frisz added. “So between the east-west flow from St. Charles County and St. Louis County and vice versa, you know, we find it goes back and forth.”
Throughout the operation, partner departments followed unified enforcement procedures and utilized a wide range of available resources, including K-9 teams and air support. The combined effort led to the investigation of 11 narcotics charges, the recovery of five stolen automobiles, and the seizure of nine guns.
“Those firearms will not be utilized in a crime. These are medications that will not be distributed in our neighborhood. So, I believe that’s the victory,” Chief Frisz stated. “We made 49 arrests and cleared 75 current warrants. Several of them were felonies.
Lake St. Louis Police Chief Chris DiGiuseppi, a member of the governor’s crime-fighting strategy committee, emphasized the value of prosecutorial support for the task force’s activities.
“Our prosecuting attorneys in St. Charles and St. Louis counties participate in and support the task force. We’ve seen a lot of cooperation there,” he added.
Looking ahead, the task force intends to address juvenile criminality by collaborating with the courts and the state government during the upcoming session. Chief DiGiuseppi voiced concern about juvenile criminals committing repeat felonies, citing recent carjackings as an illustration of a systemic issue.
“The system’s not working because obviously when we have two carjackings in 48 hours or we have juveniles that are caught, released, go back out, and continue to commit that crime over and over again,” replied DiGiuseppi. “It’s not helping the community, and it’s not helping the kid.”
As the Gateway Regional Criminal Interdiction Task Force continues to operate, Frisz said that further expansion is possible, with the option of incorporating the city of St. Louis in the future to develop a more complete regional crime-fighting strategy.
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