WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The US government has provided funding in the amount of $1.87 million to increase the number of police officers in St. Louis, Missouri to address a raise in homicides, US Congressman Lacy Clay said in a press release on Monday.
"I want to personally thank President [Barack] Obama and Attorney General [Loretta] Lynch for supporting my efforts to focus federal funding to help the St. Louis Police Department tackle gun violence and a surge in homicides," Clay stated.
The funds will allow the St. Louis Police Department to hire 15 additional officers, according to the press release.
The grant was a part of a $107 million US-wide funding effort for law enforcement, according to the Justice Department.
The number of violent deaths throughout the United States has been growing in the past year. In July, the number of homicides in Baltimore, Maryland has risen to more than 40, making it one of the city’s deadliest months in half a century.
In August, the Washington, DC Police Union announced it has no confidence in the capital’s police chief to confront skyrocketing crime, with homicides increasing 20 percent in 2015.
