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News Brief

July 28, 2025 |  By: Gavin McGough

St. Joseph Police Department say they are implementing changes

Police lights in background with "SJPD"

The St. Joseph Police Department says it is implementing changes in response to specific citizen input about crime activity and concerns in the city.

A recently completed survey of city residents revealed a low level of satisfaction with public safety. Over half of respondants said they were dissatisfied with crime prevention and criminal enforcement efforts in the city, and 44 percent were dissatisfied with traffic enforcement efforts.

The department is making changes, according to their Public Information Officer, Sargeant Richard McGregory.

"We are just utilizing information directly received from our community, things that they have stated that they want to see more of and things they didn't believe there was enough of as far as traffic enforcement here in the city.", says McGregory. 

Part of the rollout has been a series of so-called 'Traffic Enforcement Events.' Rather than simply patrolling the streets at these times, the department chooses a specific area of concern and sends additional officers to the location.

"The traffic enforecment is specific to a certain area. It is also specific to certain officers who are going to be working that, and that is all that they will be working on, they're not going to be answering calls. They will be extra officers to the shift that will just focus on whatever the task is at hand, whatever that traffic enforcement operation is on that day or in that particular time frame.", says McGregory.

McGregory says other aspects of their strategy include increasing transparency and contact with the public and rolling out additional parking enforcement measures. The department is not fully staffed, and is working to recruit and train officers. It also hopes to recruit a licensed social worker.

In an action plan recently adopted by the city, the department pledged to reduce crime levels by 10 percent and traffic crashes by 15 percent in specific "hot spots" within the coming year.