Ferguson police report rise in homicides, secure $11,000 MoDOT traffic grant; city tightens nuisance-abatement timeline

Ferguson police briefed the council on crime and community initiatives, reporting an uptick in homicides, renewed recruitment and a small traffic grant to boost enforcement. Captain Dilworth, standing in for Chief Doyle, said the department recorded three homicides in the last reporting period and that detectives made arrests in at least two cases within about 48 hours. "Unfortunately, Ferguson has, had a upswing on homicides. We had, three within the last reporting period," Dilworth said. Dilworth also said the department welcomed new officers and has increased traffic enforcement; he announced a $11,000 grant from the Missouri Department of Transportation to fund traffic enforcement and related equipment and programs. Ferguson's police chief described a revised nuisance-abatement process designed to shorten the city's current timeline for addressing code violations. Under the new process, inspectors will mail notices immediately after an inspection and an administrative hearing date will be set. If the property owner does not resolve violations at or after the hearing, the city will seek an administrative warrant and may abate the property; the chief said the revised target timeline is about 10 to 11 days from notice to corrective action rather than the 20 to 30 days the city previously experienced. Council members asked for clarifications: Councilwoman Nikkita Noah confirmed the next neighborhood roll-call meeting will be scheduled with property managers and patrol staff; Councilman Franklin asked whether the $11,000 MoDOT grant could be used to buy additional flashing stop signs, and Dilworth said he would look into equipment purchases under the grant. The chief said nuisance and abatement hearings are administrative hearings at City Hall; one hearing was scheduled for 10:00 a.m. the following day. Staff said vacant properties will be prioritized when appropriate and that court and legal processes will be used where necessary. No formal council votes were taken on policing or code enforcement at this meeting; the police department announced outreach events including a department open house scheduled for July 26.