Murder Rate in East St. Louis, Illinois Plunges to 6 Year Low

It's rare that I get to share anything about East St. Louis, Illinois that can be interpreted as good news, but this is certainly that. The Illinois State Police have shared new data revealing that the murder rate in that small Illinois city has plunged to a 6 year low.

I saw this great news just dropped today by the Public Information Office of the Illinois State Police. Get this. Homicides for the entire year of 2024 were down a stunning 26% compared to the previous year. Non-fatal shootings also plummeted by 32%.

Why the big change in East St. Louis, Illinois murder rates?

The Illinois State Police credit "combination of targeted antiviolence details, dedicated investigative resources, coordination with local law enforcement, implementation of new technology, partnerships with community organizations, and engagement in neighborhoods".

If you look at year-over-year data, the trend for the past half dozen is very encouraging for the East St. Louis area.

The fact that the Illinois State Police have done special operations targeting violent crime offenders and organizations can't hurt either. Let's hope the new community involvement events and attempts keep helping East St. Louis escape the murderous reputation it has rightly earned over the past few decades. I'm happy to share good news about that part of Illinois over the bad anytime.