KANSAS CITY/ST. LOUIS — Missouri’s business community is calling for action on crime.
During events in Kansas City and St. Louis, the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry revealed the groundbreaking Safer Missouri, Stronger Missouri strategy that is establishing a business-led, statewide approach to reducing crime in the state.
“Crime is hurting Missouri’s economy. It’s impacting businesses large and small in communities of all sizes. It’s hurting our ability to attract business investment. In some cases, crime is driving jobs out of the state,” said Daniel P. Mehan, president and CEO of the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry. “Businesses are united. This is a crisis that must be addressed now. We know that many problems need to be handled locally, but statewide policy must be deployed as well.”
According to the new report, Missouri is a top 10 state for a host of undesirable crime measures. Missouri ranks sixth in violent crimes per capita. The state is ninth highest in property crimes per person and ranks fourth in gun deaths. The report highlights eight areas Missouri needs to address — with detailed policy action items that have helped other states reduce crime.
The Missouri Chamber Foundation spent months consulting with business leaders, public safety experts and community organizers on the creation of the plan. The strategy is supported by Gov. Mike Parson, who joined the Missouri Chamber in calling for action.
“As a former Sheriff, public safety will always be a top priority for our administration. With the support of the Missouri Chamber, our state’s business community, and our law enforcement professionals, we are ready to put good ideas to work to combat crime in our state,” said Gov. Mike Parson. “It’s incredibly powerful to see the business community uniting around ways to solve our crime problem with the Safer Missouri, Stronger Missouri initiative. We are excited to work with the Missouri Chamber to move forward with this statewide approach that’s focused on fighting violent crime, supporting law enforcement, and making our communities safer.”
The full Safer Missouri, Stronger Missouri report can now be downloaded at this link: www.mochamber.com/SaferMissouri.
The plan is an extension of the Missouri Chamber Foundation’s ongoing Missouri 2030 strategic initiative. The Missouri Chamber’s work on Missouri 2030 led to Missouri leading the post-pandemic economic recovery as well as overtaking other states in rankings of job creation, per-capita income and GDP.
“Missouri is making great progress overall and public safety is the next area where our efforts can make a big difference for our state. We thank Gov. Mike Parson for his strong support as we embark on this bold, challenging new initiative,” said Mehan. “We believe our Safer Missouri, Stronger Missouri strategy provides a clear roadmap with proven ideas that have helped other states lower crime. Our approach relies on Gov. Parson and the Missouri General Assembly to enact powerful new laws that address this issue from a statewide perspective. This is a bipartisan plan with ideas that can unite the legislature and move Missouri forward toward a safer, stronger future.”
The Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry is the largest business association in Missouri. Together with the Missouri Chamber Federation, the Missouri Chamber represents more than 75,000 employers. To learn more, go to www.mochamber.com, or follow us @MissouriChamber on Twitter.