All eyes are watching St. Louis to see if Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens's new anti-violence plan will work to stop crime.
The governor is partnering with state, local, and federal law enforcement along with mental health and social service providers to make an extreme push to prevent violence and get criminals off the street.
The governor even wants to use highway patrol troopers to patrol interstates, targeting violent felons and saturating areas of high crime.
He said if the program is successful in St. Louis, it could be used in Kansas City and other parts of the state.
So what can we do in Kansas City right now to stop crime? We sat down with the governor for an exclusive interview to find out how his plan will benefit Kansas City.
Mike Marusarz:
"A lot of initiatives have been announced before programs, many unsuccessful. What makes your plan so different? And why do you feel it will be successful?"
Gov. Eric Greitens:
"One of the things I'm really pleased about Mike is that for so long the state has stood back and you've had politicians at the state level who've talked and talked and talked and talked and they set up a task force and a commission and there was a hearing and there was more talk and more talk we are taking action."
Mike Marusarz:
"Why not launch this initiative you've launched in St. Louis in Kansas City?"
Gov. Eric Greitens:
"We've already talked at the state level about some of the prospects, some of the work we can do here in Kansas City. We've reached out to some of our local partners here, some clergy leaders, business community leaders. I think when we have a new police chief in place we're going to have all the ingredients in place to do what we need to together launch a comprehensive strategy to address crime here in Kansas City."
Mike Marusarz:
"Do you have an idea what aspects of the program you've launched in St. Louis could be utilized here?
Gov. Eric Greitens:
"What we've done in St. Louis is a very specialized unit in the Missouri State Highway Patrol, in conjunction with the St. Louis Police Department and the federal government, to address crime there. That certainly could be an option for us here in Kansas City."
Mike Marusarz:
"What do you support at the state level to try to teach the people living in communities across the state to do tonight to change this?"
Gov. Eric Greitens:
"The first thing I want people across the state of Missouri to know is that we can do this. For too long what's happened in the state of Missouri is because there has been inaction because politicians have been talking and talking people have lost hope. We can take action and we can save lives."
To watch Mike's full interview with Greitens, watch the video above.
