Learn more about the Hampton/Chippewa Technology Project, a new neighborhood safety initiative spearheaded by Alderman Tom Oldenburg, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, local business owners and area residents.
ABOUT THE PROJECT
This is a fundraising effort to bring high-definition security cameras to major intersections throughout the Hampton/Chippewa corridor. A total of 19 new Point-Tilt-Zoom and License Plate Recognition cameras will link directly to the St. Louis Police Department’s Real-Time Crime Center for 24-hour monitoring. They will be used to capture valuable footage when crimes are committed, identify stolen vehicles, and alert police to the presence of vehicles that are registered to persons with felony warrants.
The total fundraising goal is $120,000, which will cover the cost of each $6,000 camera and its installation. Cameras will be installed at locations carefully chosen by the police to address known patterns of criminal activity and strategically expand the City’s existing surveillance network.
Once complete, this project will make it easier to solve and deter crimes in the Lindenwood Park, Northampton, Princeton Heights, Southampton, St. Louis Hills and Tilles Park neighborhoods. Existing cameras in the City already have led to more than 1,314 arrests, the return of 767 stolen vehicles, the recovery of 161 firearms, and the confiscation of stolen property and narcotics. On average, they help the police solve two violent crimes per day and have resulted in the filing of 3,307 charges against those arrested.
HOW DO I contribute?
Funds are being raised by the St. Louis Police Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. As a result, your donation will qualify as a tax-deductible charitable contribution. To donate online:
Select “General Donation” and click “Get Started."
Choose your desired dollar amount from the available choices, or type your own.
In the “Contribute to” box, select “Hampton/Chippewa Technology Project”.
Complete your name and address information and click “checkout”.
If you do not have a PayPal account, simply scroll down to “Pay with Debit or Credit Card”. A PayPal account is not needed to complete your contribution.
If necessary, you also can write a check payable to the St. Louis Police Foundation, provided that you write "Hampton/Chippewa" in the "notes" section of your check. Mail your check to: St. Louis Police Foundation, 9761 Clayton Road, St. Louis MO 63124.
WHY DO WE HAVE TO RAISE FUNDS?
The cost of properly policing the City of St. Louis far exceeds the amount of public safety funding that is available each year. Even with the successful passage of Proposition P, most funds must still be dedicated to the hiring of additional officers and the payment of competitive salaries – not new technology and equipment.
The police department depends on funding from neighborhoods like ours to help accelerate the expansion of its surveillance network. Self-funding allows us to bring the benefit of security cameras to our community as soon as possible.