The FBI and police from the St. Louis region have removed dozens of dangerous fugitives from the streets, showcasing the power of federal resources to fight crime.
The two-week crackdown called Operation Viper netted 91 arrests. The initiative targeted suspects wanted for homicides, aggravated assaults and illegal gun trafficking. Investigators seized 36 guns and more than $310,000 in cash.
FBI Deputy Director Andrew Bailey and Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Missouri, praised police cooperation at a press conference Tuesday.
“We’re changing the perception of this city and of this region by making St. Louis safe again,” said Bailey, former Missouri attorney general. “If you threaten the safety of the people of St. Louis, we will find you, your crimes will be investigated, you will be arrested and held accountable.”
Jefferson County Undersheriff Tim Whitney noted the operation shows what happens when federal and local authorities work together.
“Missouri is well represented in having the Deputy Director of the FBI, and then a U.S. senator who is supportive of law enforcement efforts,” Whitney told The Lion. “Having that kind of support allows operations like this to truly be successful.”
Jefferson County police played a smaller role by providing investigative support and executing a single search warrant, but Whitney emphasized criminals don’t care about city or county lines.
“Jefferson County is an incredibly safe place. Statistically, it’s one of the safest places, not only in the region, but in the state, and I would say in the entire nation,” Whitney said.
“For us to be a safe county, we also need to make sure that our surrounding jurisdictions are safe places too. Violent criminals who commit property crimes, who commit drug crimes, those people who tend to be very transient in nature, are going to cross jurisdictional boundaries.”
Whitney says law enforcement agencies in the St. Louis region have always maintained excellent relationships no matter who’s in the White House. He downplayed partisan friction when asked to compare FBI cooperation under President Joe Biden versus President Donald Trump.
“To be empowered by an administration that comes in and says, ‘violent crime cannot be acceptable anymore, and we are going to help you with federal resources’ is a huge shot in the arm to the criminal justice system,” Whitney said.
The Trump administration increased the number of FBI agents in St. Louis as a permanent “historic investment” creating “one of the largest per capita infusions” of full-time agents.
