Metro East Area News Briefs

Chronicle Media

East St. Louis saw 27 murders in 2016 and 19 in 2015.  Most of those homicides have yet to be solved.
(Photo courtesy of City of East St. Louis)

East St. Louis murder rate grows, fewer cases are solved
With 34 homicides this year – and only eight of them solved – East St. Louis law enforcement officials are hoping area residents will come forward with more tips to help improve apprehension rates.

As in several areas of the St. Louis region, the murder rate in East St. Louis has increased markedly this year, officials noted during a Dec. 13 news conference.

East St. Louis saw 27 murders in 2016 and 19 in 2015.

Meanwhile, the percentage of homicide cases being solved by detectives is decreasing.

Law enforcement agencies have solved only 23 percent of the city’s homicide case this year, Sgt. Mark Doiron of the Illinois State Police reported during the news conference.

Since the start of the decade, assailants have been firmly identified in an overall average of about 28 percent of homicides, he said.

And those figures cover only cases in which a suspect is firmly identified.  The percentage of cases in which an identified suspect is apprehended is even lower, he acknowledged.

Speakers during last week’s press conference cited, as a factor, citizen reticence to assist in police investigations.

That reticence appears linked to widespread citizen distrust of police as well as fear of reprisals from criminals, they continued.

Top Scott AFB officer relieved of command

Just five months after assuming leadership of the U.S. Air Force’s 375th Air Mobility Wing and its headquarters, Scott Air Force Base, Col. John Howard has been relieved of command and transferred to another position, according to an Air Force press release.

375th Air Mobility Wing Vice Commander Col. W. Chris Buschur has been named interim commander.

Col. Howard was reassigned Dec. 11 after Lt. Gen. Giovanni Tuck, commander of the U.S. 18th Air Force, “lost confidence in Howard’s leadership and ability to continue serving in command,” according to the press release.

“This was an incredibly difficult decision to make, but ultimately one that best serves the 375th AMW and 18th AF,” Lt. Gen. Tuck said.

Air Force officials are continuing to gather information on 375th Air Mobility Wing operations under Col. Howard, according to 18th Air Force Public Affairs personnel; although they did not indicate a formal investigation was underway.

Col. Howard has taken a position with the United States Transportation Command, also based at Scott AFB.

A unit of the USAF Air Mobility Command, assigned to the 18th Air Force, the 375th Air Mobility Wing plays a central role in the command and control of virtually all U.S. military transportation.  In addition to providing or support transportation for U.S. military units around the world, it provides aeromedical evacuation within the U.S. and operational airlift for government officials.

The wing has more than 3,100 personnel, oversees assets totaling more than $4 billion, and an annual budget exceeding $130 million.

The 375th Air Mobility Wing commander effectively becomes the base commander for Scott AFB. The base is the largest employer in Southwestern Illinois and the fourth largest employer in the St. Louis area.

Before coming to Scott Air Force Base, Col. Howard served as the vice commander of the 100th Air Refueling Wing, Royal Air Force, in Mildenhall, England

Volunteers needed for Madison County homeless census

Madison County is seeking volunteer data collectors for its next annual, countywide census of homeless persons, as well as assistance with related outreach programs.

The yearly, federally-required homeless census is scheduled for the evening of Jan. 29, 2018, from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m.

To qualify for funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, local social service agencies that offer assistance for the indigent are required to annually conduct a count to determine the demand for such services.

The surveys are used to determine the amount of federal funding for which the agencies qualify.

The county’s last survey, in January 2017, found 191 homeless persons; 40 percent of whom were children.

In 2016, the survey found 419 homeless persons in the county, of whom nearly half – 49 percent – children.

Madison County to revisit townships’ assessment costs

The Madison County Board’s Tax Cycle Committee is going to review a policy that effectively allows some townships to pay less than others for county assessor services, according to Board Member Philip Chapman, the committee chair.

“Currently some townships pay for the full cost of their assessor services and some don’t,” Board Member Chapman said in the latest edition of a newsletter he regularly distributes on county issues.

A resolution passed by the Tax Cycle Committee and the Madison County Board in July 2009 allows the county to pick up varying portions —either 50 percent or 75 percent —of township costs for property assessments within their boundaries; depending on whether assessments were performed during the regular, state-mandated quadrennial reassessment or during other periods of time.

That means some township get better break than others, Board Member Chapman says.

For example, the Madison County Assessor’s Office over recent years covered $21,609 in costs for Moro Township, $22,880 in costs for Pin Oak Township, $26,605 in costs for Jarvis Township and $75,654 in costs for Godfrey Township, while some other townships did not benefit at all from the program, Board Member Chapman said.

The Tax Cycle Committee plans to consider making all townships  — as well as all other government entities in the county — cover 100 percent of their costs for using county assessment services, Board Member Chapman said.

 

–Metro East Area News Briefs–